Frozen Butterfly Wings
by Demons of the arch angel
Summary: AU-ish. After killing Bumby, Alice was taken in by the Guardians and turned into a spirit. Now, Alice and Jack develop for each other but are unable to act on them. This changes by the arrival of a new spirit, followed by a dangerous foe. Will this bring the two young spirits together and can the Guardians win this time? For Hood. JALICE
1. Prologue: What Came, What Happened

**Anime: Hey! I'm back with a new story. I know, I know. I shouldn't be making a new story when I haven't even posted a real chapter for L!f3 and haven't updated Dueling Legend, despite that chapter 7 is in the works.**

**Jaden: You've abandoned us! *sobs* I thought we were special!**

**Anime: You are! Just, this story is a gift for a friend of mine: Hood. You see, she wants more people to ship Jalice so she asked me to make one for her. And do it I shall! This is also an early birthday gift for her. I was planning on posting it on March 6 but I was a little impatient. Also, dedication to IceTea-ROTG-AMR-FC, for the amazing Jalice pictures****.**** Thanks for being Jalice shippers! This story is for you, shippers! **

**Tyson: Baka! *hits her with a kendo stick* You're not supposed be writing this fic! Focus on one story at a time! You're not even halfway there with Dueling Legend. **

**Anime: I'm also not supposed to drink soda or eat chocolate because of a problem I had as a child. Do I do it? Of course not! *cackles evilly***

**Haou: She had chocolate, didn't she? **

**Anime: Yes! This story is kind of based on The Chance Visitor by Tyka's Flower. Good read. Also, each of these chapters can be accompanied by a song, mostly the one I was listening to. For this chapter, I recommend Snow White Queen by Evanescence. I think it fits. Jack, my darling nephew, could you do the disclaimer?**

**Jack: Okay. Anime does not own Rise of the Guardians or any of the two Alice games. They belong to their respective creators. The only person that belongs to her is Aster, this story's OC.**

**Chazz: She's not that talented to create us.**

**Anime: Chazz! **

_**~~~FBW~~~**_

Prologue: What Came, What Happened

A young boy around the age of sixteen ran, jumping on buildings and often times seeming to fly. His hair was blue-black and his eyes seemed to have no definite color as they kept changing every two seconds or so. His skin was pale, almost like a corpse but they seemed to radiate heat rather than cold. He was wearing black trousers that didn't reach up to his ankles and a red hoodie with black designs on it and was barefoot. His eyes were red at the edges, tears going down his eyes as he kept running away from whatever was chasing him.

He stopped in the chimney of a random house, looking back and panting loudly, exhausted. He wiped his eyes, sniffing loudly and hiccupping. He took a deep breath and, from the pocket in his hoodie, he pulled out a small black horse made by what appeared to be black sand. It whinnied and the boy nudged it, "Tell him I have to go and he has to allow me." He spoke it with a hint of a British accent.

It shook its head and the boy pouted, his hair suddenly turning red-blue, the two colors clashing, "I have to! The stone is in danger! If he gets it, no child or spirit, even the guardians, will be safe! Go tell Pitch, now! Please! I can't let him take the one thing that Mother and Father died to protect! They entrusted it to me and I won't let them down!"

The horse nodded and galloped away. The boy smiled, the part of his hair that was red now turning yellow but the blue part of his hair remained. He stood and looked around the place. It was a cold winter night, snow delicately falling from the sky. He closed his eyes for a brief moment and opened them. They had turned blue and his hair turned completely blue as well.

"You don't want Jack Frost up your nose." He said in a soft voice that broke at the name. He sat down on the chimney and looked at the winter wonderland that had enveloped the small town. A quaint town, where nothing extraordinary occurred. A common town. Rooftops were filled with the white blanket of snow. Snow littered the streets, the driveways and clung to trees.

"Winter wonderland, huh. What a time to say those two words together." He said, a weak laugh escaping his lips. He looked down, his bangs covering his blue eyes that filled with tears again.

He got up and floated gracefully down to the ground. The snow felt nice upon his bare feet, the heat radiating off of him lightly not even cooling down. Snowflakes fell on his face, briefly touching his cheeks as if they were kissing him. He smiled sadly at that, "Snow kissing. . . What's wrong with me, today?"

He looked at his back, suddenly wary and observing the oddly quiet, cold night, "I think I lost him for now. I just hope that nightmare delivers my message. It has to. The fate of the children and the spirits who take care of them depends on Pitch listening to that message."

He stopped in front of a tree, jumping incredibly high and landing on a branch that could stand the lithe figure that the boy was. He stared up at the pale, white moon that seemed to glow blue at the edges. The moon was completely illuminated, allowing everyone to bask in its beautiful glory. He smiled at it sadly, drawing his knees closer to his chest as if in comfort while his hair turned cerulean blue, "Hey. Um, it's been a while since we talked but. . ."

The moon was silent, like most nights. The boy's hair suddenly flashed red, standing up and glaring at the moon with his eyes now bright red, "Why did you ever allow that spirit to be free?! A spirit like him?! Why did you let him kill my parents? Why? Father trusted you! He . . ."

His hair turned blue again, except it was darker than before, almost midnight blue. He sighed and sat down, his eyes turning blue again. He bit his lower lip and was silent for a long time, eyes downcast. He looked up to face the moon again, "I'm sorry. But it's not fair. You . . . you allowed my parents to die. And it was all for this . . ."

He grabbed the small leather cord that was barely visible as he was hiding it with his hoodie. A small stone hung from the cord, dangling as the boy stared at it in slight wonder. It was the size of a baby's palm and was pale like the moon currently was. A small fraction in the stone, in the middle and not even covering the surface of the stone, was glowing with several colors.

"A Moonstone," The boy said, "A piece of the moon that fell from the sky and was found. It is your essence, you know. It allows us spirits to live to protect these children. It gives us powers and it also keeps us safe. A huge amount of power stored in such a small thing."

"And yet you protect that small thing." A new voice said. It came out of nowhere. The boy instantly hid the stone under his hoodie again, obscuring it from view once more. The voice was dripping with evil intent and the boy looked around, eyes wide as he looked all around him. His hair and eyes had turned light blue on one side and red in the other, a clashing contradiction.

"Light blue with blood red?" The voice asked, the boy in a fighting stance to prepare himself for an attack that was sure to come, "What an odd combination but I think I can decipher it. Light blue is calm, isn't it? Mmm, yes, it is. And red? Anger. Calm and anger. My, you are a contradiction, my frozen butterfly."

"Go away." The boy hissed.

The voice chuckled. The boy gasped as cold arms wrapped themselves around him, an equally cold body now behind him. His hair turned black immediately, his eyes now flashing different colors every second. Anyone who saw the display of colors flashing through his eyes would soon gain a headache in half a second.

"Black hair and the color that mostly shows up in your eyes and lasts longer is yellow, almost golden. The exact color of the hair and eyes of Pitch Black, or the Boogeyman. Pitch's center is fear. Does this mean you're afraid?" The voice asked, whispering in the boy's ears.

The boy closed his eyes and he transformed into white butterflies with blue edges on the wings. The man blinked in surprise as the butterflies all flew down to the bottom of the tree rather quickly. The butterflies dispersed and the boy appeared again. He began running again and jumped, the wind picking him up quickly.

The man smirked, his fangs razor-sharp, "A broken butterfly that continues to fly. My, he's growing on me." The man had black hair with blood-red highlights. His eyes were glowing red with golden spots on them. He enveloped himself in black smoke and chased after the flying boy.

"For a spirit whose center is imagination," The voice of the man came from the smoke as he managed to nearly catch up to the other spirit, only a gap of three feet or so between the two of them, "you're not coming up with a different strategy other than running away."

"And for a spirit whose center is death," The imagination spirit spat out, turning back to face the other spirit that was still in his black smoke stage, his black hair and flashing eyes both turning bright red in his anger, "you are, so far, unsuccessful!"

"That's where you're wrong!" The death spirit yelled, the smoke enveloping the other spirit. The younger spirit turned into butterflies again but the smoke turned thicker, capturing the butterflies in its dark clutches. They fluttered blindly in the darkness, attempting to fly away.

The fog subsided, revealing the death spirit holding the imagination spirit, who struggled under the hold. His hair was currently black and his eyes golden. He jabbed his elbow at the death spirit, kicking and scratching the arm that was wrapped tightly around his neck, "Let me go, now! Release me! Unhand me!"

"Now, why would I do that, frozen butterfly?" He asked, "Dear little Aster, all alone in the world. A dead mother, a dead father. Soon, the children you and your parents loved and protected so much, along with all those other pesky spirits, shall die as well. And you'll truly be alone."

Aster's eyes flashed bright red, his hair doing the same, "No! You will never get your hands on the Moonstone! I will protect this stone with my very life!" His hands suddenly released a mist of blue that launched itself on the other spirit. He yelled, his hands covering his eyes in pain.

Aster, now free, began to fly away as quickly as he could. He looked up at the moon, his hair and eyes turning blue in sadness, "If you truly cared about my parents, allow me to defend the stone. Help me get out of this mess. Please. The children and spirits need my help."

A hand yanked one of his ankles. Aster yelped as the contact with that dead-cold skin stung as it was a contrast with his warm, pale skin and turned to see the face he knew would follow him everywhere. The other spirit smirked, "Tsk, tsk, Aster. Didn't your worthless mother teach you any manners?"

"Don't talk about my mother that way!" Aster kicked the other's face with his free foot. The other winced but the hand never released him, "She was worthless. An outcast of society. She belonged dead."

"Shut up!" Aster yelled out again, kicking the other whose grip had not even loosened on the barrage of kicks to his face, "Let go, bastard! Release me! You killed my parents and have the audacity to talk about my beloved mother! How dare you! You'll pay!"

"Feisty little thing, aren't you?" The spirit asked, eyes gleaming in the moonlight, "You are your mother's son, I'll give you that. All you have that reminds me of your pathetic mother is your eyes. Her eyes were her only quality. Eyes that showed that she hadn't been broken despite everything. The rest of you is more like your unruly father. A perfect combination of their best traits."

"Shut up! Shut up, Black Ruins!" Aster yelled.

"Has the message not sunk in, little frozen butterfly? You're mine and so is that stone that hangs around your neck." Black Ruins all but purred. Aster squirmed as the other spirit grabbed his other ankle and eyed the moon, "Please . . ."

"We're going home now, my frozen butterfly. You'll be my prized doll." Black Ruins said, grinning evilly. The moonstone around Aster's neck began to glow brightly. Aster's eyes widened and Black Ruins growled, "What is going on?"

Aster smiled, "Alright!"

Black Ruins hissed as more of Aster's blue mist attacked him. Aster grinned, "Sorry about that. I'll take you up in that proposition. . . Not! I'm no one's property, much less yours!" He took off, the winds carrying him away. As he flew faster to the north, the moonstone glowed brighter.

"Let me make it . . ." He murmured.

In front of him, a black portal opened, several colors swirling at the edges. He grinned, speeding up, "Yes! There's a way outta this mess and I can actually do something about this! And he won't be able to follow!"

Something sharp and cold embedded itself of Aster's stomach. He gave out a pained scream and looked down to see Black was approaching him again. Aster shielded his face with one of his arms, while the other covered his wound that still held the knife, as he approached the open portal, "Here I come!"

He entered the portal and it sealed as soon as it closed. The night was silent and normal yet again. Black Ruins stopped in front where the portal had been at. He growled, "Where will you go, little Aster? There's no way that you can evade me. I will find you."

He transformed into black smoke and vanished, the night officially turning dead quiet. But it wasn't a tranquil quiet, the sort of quiet that is found in a library. No, this one was the type that seemed as if the world was holding its breath, waiting for what was to come. The calm before the storm. And that the storm was going to destroy anything and everything in its wake.

_**~~~FBW~~~**_

Aster screamed in pain as he landed in the snow, his hair and eyes flashing several colors before deciding on brown even though the tips of his hair flashed several more colors, as if his emotions didn't know how to react in this situation. He curled up in a protective ball, shaking from the pain. The shaking made him look like a hyperthermia victim, this fitting well as Aster's pasty white skin had turned paler. The place the portal had taken him was a snowy terrain. Everywhere you looked, you could see only white. White hills, white ground. The sky was a light gray as there was no sun around these parts.

Aster whimpered as he got to knees. A violent windstorm was taking place, the wind howling on Aster's ears. He covered his wound with a hand, or attempted to as the knife was still embedded into his abdomen, cringing as more blood oozed out of the wound. Even though he was dying to remove the weapon from his body, he knew better. If he did remove it, more blood would flow and he could possibly die of blood loss. And, much to his terrible luck, the knife had been thrown at him by the death spirit. Half of the hilt was visible, as most of the knife was inside of him. It was just his luck that this had been thrown, not just stabbed.

Shaking his head, he looked at the blank surroundings. He frowned, "Typical. He doesn't make things easier. Where am I?" He tried to get up but the sudden sting coming from wounds made him cry out and crumple to the ground face-first. As he impacted with the snowy ground, a mist of cold air mixed with snowflakes flew upwards, covering Aster's line of vision.

He shuddered, red blood staining the beautiful white snow around him. He stared at the snow, feeling defeated. He shook his head, recalling that his mother had gone through worst. That his father had gone through worst. If they could've survived this, then he could do it as well. He attempted to get up again one more, screaming in agony as the wound acted up again.

Aster shook his head, trying to clear his vision that was quickly turning blurry. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, his hair turning light blue as he calmed down. He took deep breaths, his breath hitching whenever he felt the pain again. He picked up some snow and placed it on the abdomen, "I am a terrible imagination spirit if I can't even help stop the bleeding of a wound like this."

He fell back onto the snow. He glanced up the empty gray sky. He couldn't even see the moon, much to his disappointment. He chuckled suddenly, "If a spirit that was born a sprit dies, will they come back as a spirit again? What an odd thing to say, Aster. And talking to yourself? Have you gone mad?"

He giggled maniacally at the thought, his hair turning black and eyes turning green as a thought assaulted his thoughts, "Mad, mad, I've gone mad. Insanity, beautiful insanity. Lock me up, they should. But how, if no one can see me or believes in me? Ha. You're truly insane, Aster."

He closed his eyes. For a moment, he almost forgot. The murder of his parents right in front of his eyes. Black Ruins appearing at him. The Moonstone. His wound. The blood that was spilling out of his body as he tried to forget. But fate was cruel as, at that moment, more blood squirted out of his wound and Aster hissed.

He opened his eyes, looking as the snowflakes fell rapidly. A violent snowstorm that seemed to be lulling him to sleep rather than scaring him. He didn't even feel the cold. He blinked slowly, seeing some snowflakes land delicately on his eyelashes. How pretty. A unique snowflake, a piece of perfection.

Piece of perfection? Aster thought to himself. If I'm thinking like this, it makes me think that I want to die . . . do I? No, of course not. What would that accomplish? My death would be insignificant. At the same time. . . My parents are dead and the others might never reach my message. I'm as good as dead. I might as well just lay in the snow and sleep . . .

As soon as he thought that, the wailing tempest came to a standstill, as if telling him that he no longer had an excuse to wish to die. He smiled, as if understanding what the wind was doing. Either that or the storm had passed. Aster was going with his first option, trying to keep his sanity, "A blessing or a curse?"

He raised his head to look at the knife. He took a deep breath. It was an annoying thorn to his side, figuratively and literally, and he wanted it to go away. He closed his eyes, his hands coming to grasp the handle of the knife. He gulped, feeling his own blood in his hands.

"To insanity." He muttered as he yanked the knife out. He gave out a loud scream of pain, the scream echoing through the silent landscape. He cried out again, feeling the wound and moaned in pain. The wound had allowed more blood to be released, the blood dripping from Aster's sides to the snow that had been originally white.

As Aster regained his breathing, he took a look at the knife that was practically covered in his blood. Red. So much red. The same color that had been pouring out of his parents' bodies and the color of Black Ruins' eyes. The color of his hair when he was mad. The color of rubies. The color of fire. The color of his hoodie. So much of that color. Such an ugly color.

"Ngh . . ."

A beautiful green light appeared in the sky. Aster's eyes widened, throwing the knife far away from him. He was breathing calmly again, his gaze fixated on those lights. Auroras. They only appeared in the North and South Poles. If the Moon had truly helped him, he took a wild guess on which pole he had appeared in.

"The North Pole!" He cried out. Suddenly, he felt a rush of adrenaline, the sort that courses through you to continue moving no matter how tired you were. He gritted his teeth as he got to his feet, eyes and hair glowing yellow to express his happiness. He looked at the sky, "Thank you . . ."

He placed a hand on his wounded side and began to run, despite the fact that he was still barefoot. As he gained enough speed, he took to the air with a small shout of happiness.

"Here I come!"

_**~~~FBW~~~**_

**Anime: How was that? Good? Bad? Terrible? I think I might've gone too deep. I don't tend to focus on imagery and deep thoughts like that. I'm more dialogue. This was new!**

**Jack: And where are we?*motions at the Guardians***

**Anime: Jack-kun, be patient. You and Alice-chan will have your moment. You'll appear in chapter one, of course! After all, this is a Jalice fanfiction! And my first fanfiction with an attempt at romance, too! I'm just terrible at it.**

**Alice: We've noticed.**

**Jaden: Read and review, please! The button is your friend! If we receive at least two comments, we'll torture Dr. Bumby!**

**Jehu: Yes! Torture! Where's my victim?**

**Bumby: No one shall review! I shall live!**

**Sora: Flaming chainsaw?**

**Anime: Thanks, darling! Let's do this! *all chase after Bumby***


	2. Chapter 1: It's All Fun And Games

**Anime: And here's the official chapter one of Frozen Butterfly Wings! Since there were more than two reviews, we're gonna torture the good doctor! **

**Jehu: Finally!**

**Aster: Before that, we'd like to that the people who made this possible. Thank you to LadyRavenCrow, Scorpiofreak and a Guest who did not reveal a name but they know who they are! Thank you for your kind words!**

**Jaden: Now?**

**Jack: As much as I want to, not yet. There is Jalice in this fic and the guardians will show up. You'll know it when you see it, of course! Anime died trying to write that part. She is terrible at writing romance scenes. Give her other genres and she might excel (except comedy) but her romance is terrible! **

**Alice: One of us is already in love with the other. You'll see who it is. This chapter might go well with Invisible by Big Time Rush, the song Anime was listening to when writing this. Check it out. Anime kept imagining Jack singing it to Alice as she heard it.**

**Haou: Now?**

**Anime: Yes!**

**Aster: Okay, because I'm joining in with the Bumby torture, I'll quickly say the disclaimer. Rise of the Guardians and the Alice video games are not owned by Anime. She only owns me. Okay, let's do this!**

**Anime: *grabbing a knife* Don't worry. Chopping off your fingers won't be that painful . . . Just kidding. It shall hurt. A lot.**

_**~~~FBW~~~ **_

1: It's All Fun And Games . . .

It was regular in the North Pole. A calm, relaxing day, a time when the snowstorm had finally cleared away and the snowflakes fell from the sky, their slow descent making them look graceful to anyone who was watching the scene. The wind blew softly, a gentle breeze that would make anyone relax.

It was the epitome of calm-.

"FROSTBITE!"

Until it was interrupted by the piercing scream of E. Aster Bunnymund, otherwise known as the Easter Bunny. This scream was follow by the laughing of the wild and crazy winter spirit who's center was fun. This spirit – nicknamed Frostbite by the Easter Bunny and also going by the names Father Frost, Old Man Winter and even Jokul Frosti – was Jackson Overland Frost, most commonly known as Jack Frost.

Jack Frost was the youngest guardian, aged to look forever eighteen even though he was over three hundred years old. He had white hair that looked like freshly fallen snow, striking blue eyes and pale skin. He was tall and slim and wore a blue hooded sweater with frost collecting around the ring of the collar and trousers bound with lighter material starting from the knee down to the rather tattered and frayed bottom. He was barefooted and, as he was grinning mischievously at Bunny from high above in Santa's workshop so you could see his teeth, had beautiful white teeth. On one of his hands, he carried his magical staff that resembles a shepherd's crook.

"What's wrong? Can't catch me?" Jack taunted Bunny from his perch high above the ground and far from Bunny's reach. Bunny was about six to seven feet tall with grayish-blue fur, flower-like imprints on both his forehead and shoulders and bright green eyes. He was wearing leather bracers set with orange stones, a single-strap holster with which he carried his boomerangs and leather wrappings on his feet. All in all, the Pooka looked dangerous and tough. Only the winter spirit dared to insult him.

"Why don't you come down here, eh? Bet you won't be acting so tough then." Bunny shot back, speaking with an Australian accent. Jack raised one eyebrow and placed a hand under his chin as if he was thinking about it. Suddenly, he grinned, "Sorry but I've got stuff to do."

Bunny growled, "Alice! Mind getting Frostbite down from there?" At the name, Jack paused and turned to a female that was sitting down and playing with some of Santa's elves who were presenting to her the toys they had "made". She actually expressed excitement, much to the delight of the elves who were usually ignored. When Bunny had called her name, she had immediately looked up, her strong eyes showing that Alice was a deadly beauty.

Alice Liddell, the strong spirit whose center was courage, was a beautiful girl with a healthy complexion, although she was paler than a typical human. Her eyes were brilliant green and had dark hair with a red tinge to it. She was wearing makeup which consisted of black eyeliner with dark pink eye shadow and peach lipstick. She was shorter than most humans, a difference to the large Bunny and lanky Jack. She wore around her neck a silver necklace with an omega and wore a simple navy blue dress with short puffy sleeves and a fanned out skirt that is cut to mid-leg. She also wore a simple white apron over her dress with black-and-white stocking underneath, and black and knee-high boots which were secured with silver buckles.

Alice looked up at Jack, their eyes meeting. Green and blue. Opposite colors that clashed every time they met. Jack refused to lose eye contact with the courage spirit, staring hard at her as if challenging her. She accepted the challenge and did not move from her spot, instead looking at Jack with mild interest.

Alice was someone Jack hardly knew. According to Tooth, she and the other Guardians had met her during the Victorian Era, centuries before Jack had become a Guardian. Alice had been chosen by the Man on the Moon to become a spirit. She had not died, like Jack had, to become an immortal spirit and was taken in by the Guardians. When Jack had become a Guardian two years ago, he had tried everything to figure out the solemn female spirit but to no avail. She was hard to read.

What Jack did know was that he and Alice were complete opposites. Blue and green. White and black. Fun and courage. Laid-back and serious. Lazy and responsible. Expressive and solemn. Cold and heat. He had nothing in common in Alice, unless you counted the fact that they were both spirits protecting children. Other than that, he found nothing else that he and the headstrong and responsible Alice Liddell shared. And yet, he couldn't help it that he always wanted to be near her, often trying to get her to open up but having no progress.

"Will you get down from there or shall I have to get up to get you, Jackson?" Alice asked, her British accent making her voice sound, strangely enough, powerful and slightly eerie. Jack tensed, especially when she had called him by his complete first name, rather than his shortened first name. Days like this, Jack wished he hadn't told her his full name when they had met.

Alice stood, the elves moving away. She patted one in the head and then jumped. And not one of those simple jumps most do humans, oh no. Alice was a potent jumper. She landed on top of the globe that showed several golden lights, each representing a child that believed in the Guardians. Jack gulped, watching those serious green orbs focused on him. She jumped again and Jack flew down, not wanting to know what she'd do to him if she had managed to catch him.

When he touched the ground, he looked up to see the female watching him with a small smirk. She floated to the ground gracefully, "Tell me, Frost, what was that? Running away from me? And here I thought you were someone fearless, considering you fought the Nightmare King. I suppose I was mistaken with my assumption."

Jack's cheeks flushed bright pink from Alice's words. Jack didn't understand why the words of this spirit meant so much to him but they did. And the power those words had on him was something that Jack felt afraid of. But at the same time, Jack did not hate Alice. No, he couldn't hate her. No, he actually-.

"Can you believe it?!" A voice cried out, startling Jack out of his thoughts, "Christmas is in about two weeks already! Isn't anyone excited?!" Toothiana, the Tooth Fairy most commonly known by the Guardians as just Tooth, flew down to greet them, followed by Sandman, or Sandy, and Nicholas St. North, commonly known as Santa Claus. This dispersed the tense atmosphere between the two youngest spirits in the room, much to Jack's delight as he probably wouldn't have been able to take Alice's cold, calculated gaze any longer or her powerful words.

Tooth was an avian hybrid and had tan skin with violet eyes. Instead of hair, she had feathers that made a curved upward style. Her entire body was covered in mini feather and had golden bracelets and anklets around her wrists and ankles. She had gold feather on either side of her head for earrings and had long, drapery feathers that started on her waist line and ended at her knees, making it look like a dress.

Despite the fact that her visible age was around fifteen or seventeen, she was older than the mountains but younger than the wind. This baffled Jack somewhat, as she was quite energetic for being an ancient being, the third eldest among the Guardians. As she zipped around the room, she gave out orders to some of her mini fairies, one of them being Baby Tooth, a fairy that often followed her around and was good friends with Jack. She stopped in front of Alice, "Isn't it fantastic! We've had more believers than last year!"

"Charming." Alice muttered, her voice sounding dull at the moment as she turned to the globe. Tooth nodded and flew to it, "So many children believing! It just makes you so ecstatic! You have some followers too, Jack! Can you believe it? More children are believing in you!"

Sandy was smiling, floating next to Jack. Sanderson Mansnoozie was a short and squat individual, garbed in an outfit made of his Dreamsand appearing as a night robe. His hair was vaguely clownish and glittered like his own sand. His hair was golden and short, styled into five points, with golden brown eyes and tiny feet that really didn't match up with the rest of his body.

North patted Alice's head, making her look up at the large man towering over her. He smiled when their eyes made contact, "It's a time to be jolly, Alice. Smile for us, please! Your smiles are a treat for all of us! Can't you at least give me one? It would really make my day."

Nicholas St. North – often called just North, Santa Claus, Father Christmas or Nick St. North – was an immense man. He was tall, buff and a little rotund. He had bright blue eyes, thick black eyebrows, and a long white beard and mustache. He was wearing his complete outfit that day: a black fur hat, a long red coat with a black fur trim and a red plaid shirt. Although you couldn't see them, Jack knew he had the words "naughty" and "nice" tattooed on each forearm respectively.

Alice patted one of his arms, "Another time, North. How are you coping so far?"

He continued smiling at her, despite the fact that she was not giving him one back, "We're having excellent progress, Alice. Your designs for some of the new toys are magnificent! The yetis and the elves love them. We even have some left over. I might even keep some."

Alice briefly smiled but that smile did not go unnoticed by the jolly man. North hugged her, taking her by surprise, "That's our Alice we know and love! Your smiles are the best! They're nice and warm. You'd probably even warm our Jack's heart with one of them!"

'_**Do you ever wonder, when you listen to the thunder**_

_**And your world just feels so small**_

_**Put yourself on the line and time after time**_

_**Keep feeling inside that they don't know you're alive**_

_**Are you on their mind or just invisible**_

_**But I won't let you fall**_

_**I see you, through them all**_

_**And I just wanna let you know.'**_

Jack tried not to blush by North's comment but he still felt his cheeks heating up at his words. He coughed, covering most of his red face with his hands. The fact that he was paler than normal did not help his situation. How he wished he could keep his reactions under control!

"What is the matter, Jackson? Are you alright?" Alice asked. Of course it was her. She was the only one to ever call him that, the others just calling him Jack, and the only one to speak so proper despite that the time period was different. But she was different. Jack knew she was different since the moment he had seen her two years ago.

'_**Oh, when the lights go down in the city**_

_**You'll be right there, shining bright**_

_**You're a star; the sky's the limit**_

_**And I'll be right by your side**_

_**Oh, you know**_

_**You're not invisible to me**_

_**(Oh, you know)**_

_**You're not gonna be invisible.'**_

"I'm alright." Jack lied to her. He was afraid of his feelings, afraid of her rejection. He hardly had a good relationship with her and was afraid that they'd lose whatever they had if he told her how he felt. He was afraid of her reaction. How would she react if he told her those three powerful words?

"Are ya sure, Frostbite?" Bunny asked, taking a good look at him, making Jack's cheeks turn a darker shade and making the winter spirit wish he was anywhere but there. "You look really flustered. Ya can't possibly have a fever so that's out as a possibility. . . Are ya sure you're okay?"

'_**Do you ever think of, when you're standing at the brink of**_

_**Feel like giving up, but you just can't walk away**_

_**Night after night, always trying to decide**_

_**Are you gonna speak out or get lost in the crowd**_

_**Do you take a chance or stay invisible**_

_**But I won't let you fall**_

_**I see you, through them all**_

_**And I just wanna let you know.'**_

Jack nodded at Bunny's question, making the others to continue looking at him. Much to his embarrassment, Alice was watching him with that calm, cold and calculating gaze. Those beautiful green orbs that had ensnared him with their beauty and now he couldn't tear his gaze from them.

_My heart's pounding, like it's about to burst._ Jack thought. He felt Alice's eyes continuing to watch him and it caused his heart to pound faster. _Please_, he told Alice in his mind even though she could hear him, _stop it. Don't you see what you're doing to me? If you don't stop, my heart will burst. If you don't stop, then I won't be able to stop those words from leaving my mouth . . ._

There was a loud sound coming from a window, sounding as if someone was pounding on the windows in an attempt to get in. All of them turned to it, suddenly very quiet. They all made eye contact with each other and both Jack and Alice rushed to the window, Jack holding his staff while Alice materialized the Vorpal Blade from the air, brandishing it.

The sounds resumed, accompanied by a pained voice that soundly oddly like a male teenager's, "North? Tooth? Bunny? Sandy? Are you in there? Please, help me. Help, please. I . . . I need help . . ."

Jack turned to the Guardians, who were warily watching the window where a dark silhouette could be seen. Judging from their expressions, they did not recognize the voice. Jack whispered to Alice, "What do you think? Should we let him in or not? The others don't recognize him."

Alice turned to him, "We let him in. If he tries anything," She motioned at her gleaming blade that still had blood from her past victims in it, "I'll just cut them down with the Vorpal Blade."

The pounding seemed to turn softer, as if the person was losing the strength to do it. The voice had stopped speaking. Jack approached the window. With a quick glance at Alice who nodded, Jack opened the window and was shocked when the figure began to collapse on him.

"Whoa!" Jack cried out in surprise, holding the male upright by grabbing onto his thin shoulders. They both stumbled a bit, due to the sudden weight Jack had to hold onto, until Jack regained his balance. Jack looked down to see weary brown eyes looking up at him.

"F-F-Father . . .?" The boy asked, glancing at him, "Jack Frost. . . Father Frost . . . Is that you?" The boy was around sixteen years old or so with brown hair with the tips of his hair changing colors rapidly, making Jack's head spin when he tried to focus on one color. He was paler than Jack was and Jack was surprised that he was warm despite that he had been outside in the cold. He was wearing a red hoodie similar in style to Jack's except it was red with black designs on it, had black trousers that reached up to about six inches above the knees, allowing some of his pale skin to show. He was also barefooted but he didn't seem to mind.

"Are you okay?" Jack asked and then noticed one of the boy's hands covering his stomach. The pale hand was blood-red. Jack's eyes widened as he realized what the red liquid was and looked up at North, "He's injured! We have to take him to the infirmary now!"

Tooth quickly flew away, Sandy following after her in search of the first aid kit. Jack shook the boy, "Hang on, okay? You're gonna be alright. We'll take care of you. Hey, hey, kid. Don't fall asleep yet, okay. Hey, come on, stay awake. Now, tell me your name."

"A-A-Aster." The boy coughed out, looking at Jack's eyes. He chuckled, a laugh without mirth, "My adrenaline rush is gone. . . I used it up and the rest of my energies to get here. . . It must have exhausted me. . ."

"Aster, right?" Jack asked as Aster's eyes started to close. When Jack started talking, however, his eyes opened. What surprised Jack the most was that his eyes had changed from brown to light blue, "Aster, talk to me. Do you have a family? If so, how are they? How do they look like?"

"My parents . . .?" Aster asked, his eyes looking a little glazed and his eyes turned navy blue. Not only that but, Jack noticed, the tips of his brown hair had turned navy blue as well, "My family . . . I had a mother and father. I was going to have a younger sibling . . . A little baby sister . . . But they're all gone. Mother. Father. My unborn sister. Gone . . ."

Jack's eyes softened, remembering his own family that he lost the day he died. Aster stared at Jack's face, smiling sadly at him, "Jack Frost . . . It's nice to see you. I . . ." He hugged Jack, burying his face on his chest. He started sobbing and Jack held him, wondering why he was sobbing.

"I was so scared. . ." Aster sobbed, "I thought . . . I . . ." He dissolved into sobs again, "I thought that . . . that he was gonna . . . that he was going to . . . he was . . ." He went limp in Jack's arms and Jack felt himself panicking. He began to shake Aster's shoulders, "Hey! Aster! Aster!"

"Give him to me, Jack." Bunny called out to Jack. Just as Jack passed the limp Aster to Bunny, Aster's brown hair suddenly turned white like Jack's hair. The transformation occurred slowly, the roots of his hair turning white and traveling until it reached the tips of his hair.

"How does he do that? His ever-changing hair and eyes, I mean." Jack asked aloud, following Bunny who carried the unconscious Aster in his arms. Bunny looked down at the boy, "I don't know. In all of my years of being a Guardian, I've never met this spirit. And, like this, he kinda looks like you."

Bunny and Jack made it to the extra room, where North, Tooth, Alice and Sandy were waiting. Bunny placed Aster on the bed, "We have to check his injury . . . Remove his hoodie. We have to see the damage he has. That is a lot of blood."

Tooth nodded and removed Aster's red jacket. She passed it to Jack, "Give that to the Yetis so they can mend it and clean it." She looked at Jack a little closely, "I suggest you do the same too. You have Aster's blood on your jacket as well. If you don't clean it, it'll stain and will be hard to get rid of."

"Right." Jack mumbled, staring at the pale boy. His chest was pale white except in his stomach, where blood remained. He had black swirls around his left wrist that looked similar to Pitch's sand while his right wrist had golden swirls that looked, oddly enough, like Sandy's Dreamsand. North stared at that, "This is strange . . ."

Alice began cleaning the blood Aster had. She turned to Bunny, her expression reminding Jack of ice: cold and harsh, "Pass me the bandages, will you? And alcohol, please. This wound looks as if it might get infected if it isn't treated right."

The way Alice looked like right now made Jack's heart skip a beat. She looked so calm and powerful despite the fact that she was in a very difficult situation. Jack liked that about her. Her calmness. She probably wouldn't believe him if Jack told her that she looked beautiful, despite the fact that her hands were covered in Aster's blood.

As Alice worked her magic, Jack decided to get the boy's sweater cleaned and mended. It vaguely reminded Jack of his own sweater, despite the fact that it seemed to be made of a different fabric. Jack handed it to the yetis before inspecting his own sweater that had a red spot on it.

Jack stared at the spot for a long time and then at the room where Aster was asleep, his wound being taken care of. For a brief moment, Jack saw himself in that bed. But then that moment ended and he saw Aster again.

"Where did you come from?" Jack wondered.

_**~~~FBW~~~ **_

**Anime: Awww! Jack is in love with Alice already! But is Alice in love with him? And Aster has made it to the guardians! Yes! **

**Jehu: *wearing bloody clothing* All of Bumby's fingers are gone. Shall we put alcohol on the stubs to make him suffer?**

**Anime: Yup!**

**Jaden: Anime is really proud that this fic is popular! More popular than when Dueling Legend, L!f3 and PokeFailure (Demon's fic) first came out. That's really sad ... Oh well. We don't mind. Read and review! Torturing Bumby is fun! We're also gonna chop his toes too and yank out his teeth and burn his hair and mutilate his body with a bunch of wounds and then throw alcohol-.**

**Anime: Whoa, who told you all of these torture methods? Who corrupted my sweet and innocent little boy Jaden Yuki?**

**Jehu: Me!**

**Sora: How could you? *chases Jehu with a flaming chainsaw***

**Jack: So I'm the lovesick one in this fic?**

**Anime: Alice is tougher than you, Jack. You would probably fall in love first. It's reasonable. I think. I just think it would look more reasonable if Jack fell in love first than Alice falling in love with him first. Is it reasonable?**

**Alice: It is.**

**Aster: Until next time!**

_**~~~~Comment section~~~~**_

**LadyRavenCrow: **It is a good prologue, I was waiting for Jack and Alice but okay, it was a good start please follow!

**Anime: Well, I was planning on writing them in it but I wanted to introduce Aster and Black Ruins into the story as they're part of the plot. Aster's role is going to be very important in the story. And I needed to see if people would like it.**

**Scorpiofreak: **Good start so far. This is interesting. Though I'm a little confused with all of Aster's hair and eye color changing, but I'm sure you'll explain that later on. Can't wait to see how this plays out. Update soon. ;)

**Anime: Thank you for flattering me! You're so nice! And yes, I'll explain why Aster's hair and eyes keep changing color. He does have a "true form" but that'll be revealed towards the climax or ending of this story. That's going to be a mystery!**

**Guest: **Cool another Ice Tea story! Can't wait to read the next chapter!

**Anime: So nice! I'm glad that you ship Ice Tea! We need more shippers for this wonderful couple! You should check out the videos on YouTube on this pairing! They're so beautiful! Is this chapter satisfying enough for you?**


	3. Chapter 2: Distortion of Reality & Dream

**Anime: Here's chapter 2 of Frozen Butterfly Wings! Yay! Sorry for the long wait (I think it was long) but I got stumped writing some parts and I was busy with schoolwork and got slightly sick. In fact, I'm supposed to be doing my math homework right now . . .**

**Sora: Thank you to LadyRavenCrow for being the first review and to Scorpiofreak for giving us critique! It was really helpful! We appreciated the review a lot! We need it to learn! The chapter is also dedicated to ZacKriel! **

**Jaden: You made Anime's day with that really sweet review! You made her smile! **

**Jack: Anime has attempted to write more Jalice, again. She also warns readers that the characters might be OOC despite the fact that she tried her hardest writing in-character.**

**Anime: FanFiction and original stories are hard to write at the same time! I nearly give the characters I don't own a different personality! I don't like when I make the characters terribly OOC so I ask for forgiveness in advance.**

**Alice: At least you don't have me as a lovesick girl they portray in other female characters.**

**Anime: *shivers* Can anyone imagine our lovely Alice being like that? Because I can't. **

**Tyson: This chapter has a little more info on Aster and, of course, slight Jalice! Well, we think. Sorry if it might not satisfy you guys! This chapter could be accompanied by several songs. One is Slipped Away by Avril Lavinge. Other songs would be Kiss Me (Japanese), Belly Dance (Japanese) and Koshitantan (Japanese). They gave Anime inspiration.**

**Anime: The disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters except Aster and the six other OC's I'm introducing. If I did, I'd make this shipping canon. And make sure lots of people shipped this. End of story.**

_**~~~FBW~~~**_

2: Distortion Of Reality And Dreams

Aster stayed asleep for three days, not once moving. Tooth had said that it wasn't because of his wounds; Aster was recovering from whatever traumatic experience had occurred to him. He was exhausted physically, mentally and emotionally. Due to this, Tooth didn't let anyone disturb him as he slept and even told Sandy to give him good dreams as he often screamed in his sleep, fear in his voice.

For whatever reason, as no one knew why, Jack was often in Aster's room, keeping him company and always alerted them when he had a nightmare. Since he was constantly in Aster's room, Jack was the first person Aster saw when he woke up, three days after he had arrived at North's workshop.

"Ngh. . ." Aster moaned, his eyes moving behind his closed eyelids. He tossed to one side, making Jack turn to him from his perch in the windowsill. Jack walked to stand by Aster's bedside, "Aster? Aster?"

"Eli . . . Elizabeth . . ." He mumbled, turning his side violently to one side. Jack instantly knew what was going on. Aster was having memories of the death of his family. Aster began screaming, thrashing violently in the bed. "FATHER! MOTHER! WAKE UP! PLEASE, WAKE UP! WAKE UP! PLEASE! DON'T LEAVE ME!"

"Aster!" Jack began to shake his shoulders as the boy continued to scream. The temperature of the room seemed to have dropped about ten degrees, much to Jack's surprise. Wind howled around him and slammed the door shut. The furniture began to shake as well, much to Jack's shock.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" Aster yelled to whatever was plaguing him in his dream, the bed floating. Jack got onto the bed, so he couldn't get that far away from the nightmare-plagued Aster. "STOP IT! STOP! I-." He screamed loudly, a bloodcurdling scream of pain and terror.

Jack shook him, "Aster, wake up! It's a dream! Aster, WAKE UP!"

Aster's eyes shot open, revealing brilliant green eyes that turned golden while his white hair turned black. He sat up as if he had been electrocuted and all the weird occurrences stopped, making the bed to drop to the ground loudly. Aster's eyes searched the room, looking frantic.

"Where am I? Is he here?" He whispered, drawing his knees closer to his body and wrapping his arms around them. Jack placed a hand on his shoulder and watched as the boy flinched and tensed at the contact. When he saw Jack's face, his shoulders relaxed but the color of his eyes and hair did not change like the other times.

"No . . . whoever _he_ is." Jack responded. Aster took deep breaths, "Did I . . . go nuts with my powers again?" When Jack raised a questioning eyebrow, Aster sighed, the tip of his black hair turning navy blue, "I can't help it, I'm sorry. My center is imagination so I can do anything that you believe is possible. I might even do impossible things . . ."

"It's okay." Jack smiled and Aster's eyes turned from golden to yellow, his hair slowly turning yellow. Jack frowned and pointed at him, "How can you do that?" Aster blinked, turning his head to one side in confusion, "Do what?" At this, his hair and eyes turned orange.

"Your hair and eyes!" Jack told him. Aster blinked and then grinned, his hair and eyes turning yellow, "Oh! You sound a lot like my father! He got confused when this happened to me too! Ha! Sorry about that. I guess my hair and eyes constantly changing confuse people."

Aster shook his head, "My hair and eyes didn't always change color. It started when my mother gave me a necklace two years ago." Aster reached for his neck and, suddenly, Jack saw a necklace materialize. A necklace, he noted, had not been there three days ago when they had checked Aster's wound.

Aster showed him the necklace. A small stone the size of a baby's palm hung from the cord was pale like the moon. A small fraction of the stone, in the middle and not even covering the surface of the stone, was glowing with several colors. The most prominent was yellow.

"This is a Moonstone, a part of the moon itself." Aster told Jack, who stared at the stone in wonder. Aster continued, smiling as he looked at the small stone, "As soon as I put it on two years ago, my hair and eyes changed color to yellow, because I was overwhelmed with happiness when I got it for my birthday. Father freaked out when it happened and Mother laughed at him. She loved to tease him a lot. Father didn't even complain about it."

"So your hair and eyes change color depending on your mood because of this stone?" Jack asked and Aster nodded, "It's like one of those mood rings that those mortals have! Yellow is happiness, dark blues are sadness, red is anger, brown is suffering either physically or mentally or emotionally, black is scared, light blue is calm . . . the list is endless!"

"And white?" Jack asked. Aster shrugged, staring at Jack's pale hair, "I don't know. Haven't figured it out. My parents said that it was the color that my hair has when I fall asleep. It once turned white when I was meditating, when I left my mind in blank! I think that my hair turns white when I'm not thinking."

"That's cool." Jack said. He grinned, Aster raising an eyebrow as his hair and eyes turned back to orange that Jack knew meant that Aster was confused, "So when you're in love, does your hair and eyes turn pink or something?"

Aster's hair turned pink and so did his eyes. He looked down, glaring at Jack. Half of his hair turned red and his right eye turned completely red, "It turns pink when I'm in love or when I'm embarrassed, okay? It's embarrassing how I found that out. Why would you ask me something like that?"

"How did you find out?" Jack asked. Aster's entire hair turned a hot pink and he buried his face into his hands and shook his head, "I'm not telling you! I'll never be able to live it down to this day!"

Jack grinned evilly, "Come on . . . you can tell me. It's not like I'm telling anyone." Aster's hair hot pink hair turned teal as he peaked from his fingers to look at Jack. Jack motioned at the new hair color and eye color, waiting for Aster to explain, "Teal . . . what does that mean?"

"I'm hesitating." Aster replied, his hands falling to his sides as he stared at Jack's face, "Whenever I feel like that, it turns teal. I don't know if I should tell you . . . You'd probably laugh at me. I know you would. You're Jack Frost, after all. Your center is fun, after all."

"How do you even know me?"

"You're a Guardian. Your name is becoming more popular by the day, Frost." Aster replied, his hair and eyes flashing yellow before becoming teal again.

"Oh. So . . ." Jack nudged Aster, who turned to stare at him, "Are you going to tell me how you realized your hair and eyes could turn pink?" Aster's hair and eyes turned hot pink again and he looked down, twiddling his fingers as if contemplating what he had to say.

"It was about seven months ago, actually." Aster mumbled, "My mother and her best friend had this crazy idea to play dress up, wanting to practice making girl's clothing because they had figured out my mother was going to have a daughter. My father had gone out with his friends and colleagues so they were gone. I was home practicing controlling my powers when my mother and her friend came in.

"They tied me up in minutes and dragged me to the room that was going to be my sister's. Once inside, I noticed with horror that there were several dresses and skirts and a lot of girly things in the room. I tried to escape but my mother had a tight grip on me. Word of advice, don't fight with a pregnant woman. She will beat you.

"Anyways, I don't remember how they did it but the next thing I knew, I was in one of the dresses my mother had made. Her friend even put bows on my hair! I was blushing and my hair and eyes turned pink. What made my hair turn hot pink was that my father and his friends decided to walk in that moment. They all started laughing at me and took pictures-. You're laughing at me!"

Jack was indeed laughing at him and Aster blushed, pushing Jack away from him, "You said you weren't going to laugh at me!" Jack shook his head and, between laughs, responded, "I never promised anything!"

Aster turned away, "Honestly! That's the last time I ever tell anyone something that personal! How mean! Even Father wouldn't be like that! He'd laugh and then get over it. If Father was still alive-." He stopped dead in his tracks. He turned quiet and his hair turned navy blue, signaling his sadness. His bangs covered his eyes and Jack stopped laughing, sensing his sadness.

"Aster?" He asked, softly, the way one would speak to a person who was emotionally damaged. Considering what Tooth had told them, and the nightmares that often plagued Aster that Sandy always needed to replace with good dreams, it was possible that Aster was emotionally damaged, "What happened to your parents? How did . . . they die?"

Aster sighed, "They were murdered by a spirit named Black Ruins, whose center is death. I . . . It was all my fault. I was in my room alone practicing my powers. Mother couldn't do anything because she was pregnant and had to take care of her and my unborn little sister. My father stayed home to be with Mother, since he was hardly with her as he was doing both of their jobs. He was exhausted and my mother vulnerable due to her pregnancy. That's why they were killed by him."

Aster's hands created a fist, "He couldn't take them otherwise. Mother and Father were powerful spirits! A spirit like him couldn't even have injured them! But he knew they were weak and that I was outta the house. That's when he attacked: seven days after my birthday.

"I left my room that day when I heard the screams of my mother downstairs. When I ran down, I," He choked on his words, as if recalling that night, "There was blood everywhere. . . Black Ruins was choking my father, who fought with all his might to fight back. Mother was telling to run away but I stared in horror as Black Ruins stabbed my father and slashed off his head.

"When he tried to reach me and take me, my mother stood in between us. I couldn't do anything as he killed my mother by ripping out her heart and taking away my mother's necklace. I let my anger get to me and we had a brief fight before I ran away, wanting to escape the terrible scene that surrounded me. I ran like a coward . . . We had another brief 'battle' before I came here."

"He was the one who gave you that wound, didn't he?" Jack asked. Aster looked down, his hair turning into midnight blue, "Yes . . . He did so in an attempt to weaken me. So far, what I know about him is that he goes by the name 'Black Ruins' and his center is death. He was killed his previous life and he was a terrible person who loved to kill, or so I've heard from my sources. The psycho himself hasn't told me why he seems so hell-bent on . . ."

"On what?" Jack asked, curiously. Aster's hair turned red, and he looked down, "For some unknown reason, he wants me. He wants me the way a child wishes for a toy that his parents will never give him. He wants to own me, as if I'm a doll! I'm not letting that creep get me and take my freedom!"

"Take away your freedom?"

Aster nodded, his hair turning light blue as he tried to calm himself, "Yes. It's something that we all have and were born with but it can be taken away so quickly, if you're not careful with it. My parents loved their freedom and I got their same love for being free. So for someone to own me like an object isn't fun."

"I bet it's not." Jack said.

Aster met his gaze, his currently light blue eyes meeting Jack's own pair of blue eyes. Jack smiled at him and Aster returned it, his hair and eyes turning yellow, their smiles almost mirroring. Suddenly, in that moment where they seemed to be mirror-images of the other, Jack heard voices coming from his head, voices that he somewhat recognized but, at the same time, were completely alien to him.

"_Aster! Remember to not tease the nightmares or they're going to give you bad dreams! And don't follow any stray animals or you'll get strayed from the path yourself, okay?"_ It was a woman's voice.

"_Oh-kay, Mum! I'll be extra careful around them!"_ That was Aster's voice, although his voice sounded as if the teenager was younger, perhaps around the age of ten or so. The voice also sounded cheery and happy, something that Aster's voice now lacked as his parents had been killed.

"_Try controlling your powers too and check if any kids can see you. You need to have some believers if you're chosen to be a Guardian when you're older. And don't pick a fight with those other spirits that are also in that area. They're bound to have more experience with controlling them."_ That voice was a man's: Aster's father.

Jack shook his head and Aster blinked, his hair and eyes turning light brown, "Jack? Hey, are you alright? You spaced out for a moment." Jack stared at Aster's new hair and eye color and Aster grabbed a strand of hair, noticing the color, "Light brown is worry. So . . . are you okay?"

Jack nodded and Aster's hair and eyes changed back to yellow in relief. Jack thought about the voices he had heard that had not been from his memories but Aster's. But why had he heard those voices? He had no possible way to hear them. And Aster's mother's voice was very familiar. But why had it sounded so familiar?

_**~~~FBW~~~**_

The Guardians and Alice were all by the globe that glowed with golden dots. They had gotten worried when they heard Aster's screams and that the door had slammed shut but relaxed when Sandy gave them the 'OK' sign: Aster was no longer having nightmares and both he and Jack were okay.

Alice was leaning on the wall, Tooth flying just two feet away from her, watching the door where Aster and Jack were currently at and sometimes interrupting the silence when she spoke to her fairies. Alice crossed her arms in front of her chest and finally spoke, making the Guardians turn to her, "North, you saw that too, didn't you? The boy's wrists."

North nodded, a brooding expression on his face as he stroked his beard, "Yes, I did, Alice. Pitch's dark sand and Sandy's Dreamsand. How was he able to get some of that, especially when Pitch is locked away and Sandy is here? Not to mention that he called us by our nicknames, as if he knows us, even though this is the first time we have ever seen him."

"I bet he's allied with Pitch." Bunny inputted, Sandy looking between all of them, shaking his head and trying to get their attention but no one listened to the ever silent dream spirit. Tooth sighed, looking anxious, "But Pitch is _gone_. He's been locked away for two years and there's no way he was allied with this spirit because Aster looks too young to have any-."

"_Looks_." Bunny emphasized as he interrupted her, "The boy could be like Alice or Jack: chosen to be spirits at an age that makes others think that they're teenagers. He could be as old as us and we wouldn't be able to know."

Tooth rolled her eyes in frustration, flying around rapidly with her hummingbird-like wings as Sandy and Alice watched the events unfold in silence, "That's not the only thing bothering me. What bothers me is that Aster has no memory archives. I don't have any of his teeth!"

At this, all of the spirits in the room turned to Tooth. She looked back at the door where Aster and Jack were at, "That's what's bothering me. It's as if he appeared out of nowhere! As if he was never human or he hasn't lost any of his baby teeth, which I doubt as I saw the whole adult set of teeth when we checked his injuries. And, may I add, his teeth are as beautiful as Jack's!"

"So we have in our hands some kid who appeared out of nowhere, injured, who has no teeth under Tooth's care and has some of Pitch and Sandy's sand?" Bunny recapped and they nodded, allowing the silence to surround them. Alice broke the silence once again as she spoke, "Not only that but I sensed something about him that seems oddly familiar."

"What do you mean, Alice?" North questioned the quiet female. Alice frowned, green eyes turning to the other occupants of the room, "I don't know why but, when I first saw him, he reminded me a lot of Jack. Of course, there are slight differences in physical features between the two but their resemblance is uncanny. Not only that but he seemed distant from everyone else but Jack."

Sandy shook his arms in front of him to try to catch the other spirits' attention, his Dreamsand making several shapes. One of those shapes was a baby and two people holding it. Alas, no one paid him any attention as they continued to ponder about Aster.

"Alright, so the kid looks and reminds us of Frostbite, he's got some of Sandy and Pitch's sand, even though we have no idea how he has some, Tooth doesn't have any of his teeth and he seemingly appeared out of nowhere. Not to mention that none of us have heard of him even though he seems to know us. Who else sees that something is wrong with this kid?" Bunny asked as Sandy gave up catching their attention and huffed.

"What's wrong?"

All the heads of the room turned to the now open door where Jack and Aster where both at. Standing side by side, they all agreed that the two did share similar facial features, although their hair and eye color were different. For example, Jack's hair was white and Aster's was now orange. The both males were roughly around the same height, although Jack was taller for about two more inches or so. Also, Jack's eyes were blue while Aster's eyes were orange.

Aster scratched his head, looking at the occupants when his hair and eyes turned pink, "Um . . . do any of you have, perchance, my hoodie?" It was then that they noticed that the boy was wearing nothing in his chest but a blanket, covering his torso. He bit his lower lip, looking down.

Tooth smiled nicely at him, noticing that the poor boy was embarrassed, "We finished fixing it up some time ago, about two days ago, but you were still sleeping and we didn't want to wake you up. You seemed exhausted. We're sorry we didn't have it delivered to your room, Aster."

"It's okay, Au-. Lady Toothiana." Aster said with a smile. Alice frowned at how he had fumbled with his words, almost calling Tooth something else. Alice had to keep an eye out on him. She wasn't going to just allow him to be here without watching him, in case he did anything bad. She was not trusting this boy.

Some of Tooth's mini fairies appeared, holding Aster's red hoodie. The boy smiled in glee when he grabbed it, hugging it close to his chest before slipping it on himself, "Wow, it even feels nicer than ever! Thank you for everything! I don't know how to thank you for it!"

His pink hair and eyes had flashed bright yellow, causing Sandy to look at his own golden hair as if to see that his hair wasn't as bright. Aster bowed, a wide grin on his face, "Dear, how rude of me! My name is Aster Nick Frell, the imagination spirit! It's a pleasure to be in the presence of the Guardians and Alice Liddell herself!"

"Aster Nick Frell?" Bunny repeated. Aster nodded, a warm smile playing on his lips, "I'm named after you, actually, Bunnymund! That and my name conveniently means 'star', something that shares the night sky with the Man on the Moon! And my middle name Nick comes from Nicholas, North's name. My parents respected the Guardians and so I was named after you."

Jack grinned, "What kind of last name is Frell?"

Aster's hair and eyes turned pink at the statement and quickly looked down, eyes looking everywhere but at Jack. He looked away, pouting and frowning although he was more embarrassed than anything as his hair hadn't even turned red in the slightest, "Well . . . Uh. . . You see . . . Um . . . T-t-that's not nice, Frost! You're a big tease, you know that?"

Jack ruffled Aster's current pink hair affectionately, who tried to swat Jack's hand away, "I left you speechless and made you stutter! And I thought I couldn't do that with anyone! Guess there's a first for everything after all."

Alice looked away, a frown in her features. Why was Jack speaking with that boy as if they knew each other for a long time? They had met three days ago when Aster collapsed on Jack. Why did Jack talk to him as if they were good friends, but stuttered and hardly talked with her and they had known each other for two years? Alice didn't like the feeling she got as she thought about it.

Aster glanced briefly at Alice and noticed her slightly jealous look. He smiled fondly at her, something that didn't go unnoticed by Sandy, who stared at the boy with sympathy. Aster caught the golden man's gaze and shook his head, a sad smile on his lips. Sandy nodded and Aster moved his hands rapidly. Sandy's eyes widened as he recognized what Aster was doing.

"What are ya doing with your hands, mate?" Bunny asked, noticing the rapid hand movement, and Aster stopped just as quickly. He turned to the large Pooka and smiled, "Practicing my sign language! I don't want to forget it! It's a good language to know. It's incredibly helpful."

Aster shot Sandy a meaningful look and the dream spirit gave him a nod. Jack grinned, "So, Aster, your center is imagination?" At Aster's nod, Jack's eyes shined, "That's great! You're connected to my center!"

"That's cool!" Aster smiled and Jack wrapped an arm around his shoulder, "Come on! I know this might be sudden but we should head off and have some fun! These last three days have been somewhat boring because we were worried about you. Besides, I'm in the mood for a snowball fight. As the King of Snowball Fights, I'll take it easy on you."

Aster grinned, his hair and eyes turning silver as his confidence grew, "Snowball fight, eh? Unfortunately for you, Frost, I have been trained in the ancient arts of snow-jitsu. Today, I'm going to dethrone the king. The title of King of Snowball Fights shall be mine!"

Jack raised an eyebrow at Aster's confidence and smirked, his own ego swelling, "Ha! You shall never defeat me! I shall retain my title! You'll see!" Both males grinned widely, revealing similar pearly white teeth. Aster narrowed his eyes in mock seriousness, "Let's dance, Jack Frost, and decide who is the true King of Snowball Fights once and for all."

Both of them flew out, looking almost identical. The only differences were their clothing, hair and eyes and the fact that Jack still held his staff while Aster left empty-handed. If one who hadn't known them had seen them now, they could've been mistaken for siblings.

Alice watched them go and smiled briefly when she saw Jack's smiling face. Since she had met the spirit two years ago, she had loved his innocent and carefree smile. He represented the happiness, fun and innocence Alice had lost centuries ago when she was a human. He represented her life before the fire Bumby caused and the death of her family. Jack Frost's happiness was something she treasured more than anything, as it allowed her to see that there was a chance for her to be happy. Maybe that's why Alice harbored small feelings for the winter spirit.

"Alice, go."

Alice turned to North, who had spoken. At her unspoken question, the jolly man smiled, placing a hand on her shoulder, "Even if I was blind, I wouldn't miss the looks you give him from time to time, Alice. Be with Jack and be happy. You still have the chance to gain your happiness with him. If you don't do it, you'll regret it if he leaves your life."

Alice looked to where her precious light and symbol of happiness Jack had left, along with the other boy. She nodded at North, walking away and heading outside, "I won't live my life with regrets. I won't have any regrets." _And I know I'll regret not being with Jack if he ever leaves my life. _

_**~~~FBW~~~**_

After the fun snowball fight, which resulted with Jack as the winner (much to Aster's dismay), Aster walked alone in the workshop, smiling. He didn't think he would ever stop smiling now. He was really happy. His hair and eyes were so yellow, it even hurt his own eyes to stare at his hair.

"Alice and Jack, eh?" He said and chuckled. He looked over shoulder, checking if anyone had heard him but no one had. He leaned on the wall and took out his necklace, the Moonstone glowing brightly in his palm. He sighed and hid it under his hoodie again. His eyes turned to the left, "Hey, Sandy."

Sandy appeared, looking serious as he floated towards the teenager. He started moving his hands and Aster read the hand movements with ease, having practiced the art when he was a child. Aster looked down, "I knew I couldn't hide it from you. Being asleep for three days might have been a bad idea considering the spirit of dreams is here. So, will you tell them?"

Sandy moved his hands again and Aster nodded, looking grim and his hair and eyes turned light brown-light blue, worrying but attempting to be calm, "Yes, they're gone. And I'm afraid he's still after me. He won't stop until he does have me in his possession. I'm afraid he'll chase me down here too and hurt you guys. He'll do anything to capture me."

Sandy asked something in sign language and Aster bit his lower lip, his whole hair turning midnight blue, along with his eyes, "I only survived that day because Black Ruins wanted me alive and because I was a coward and ran away. Without my parents, I'm just a scared little kid. And I did nothing as he killed them. I was utterly useless! I can never forgive myself for that."

Sandy pouted and then motioned at Aster's wrists. Aster blinked, "That? Ah, they were gifts, of course. No need to tell North or Bunny about that. They'd think I'm in Pitch's side. They don't even know about the real evil that wishes to not only destroy us but the children too."

Sandy moved his hands faster and Aster raised an eyebrow, "They won't trust me, Sandy. Jack might and you would too, of course. But I'm not as oblivious as I look. I saw how North, Bunny and Alice saw me. How can they believe my word without me revealing who I really am?"

Sandy created a version of Tooth using his Dreamsand, followed by a question mark, and Aster groaned, hitting his forehead with the palm of his hand, "I forgot all about that! If Tooth does manage to find my memories, I'm done for! I could be like an open book to her!"

He reached into his hoodie pocket and out from it materialized the standard tooth box. He held it tightly, "If she did find this, boy, would I be in for it! I just know it! Maybe if Manny told them the situation, they'd understand but it's not like he's gonna do so. Dad told me that it doesn't work like that."

He ran a hand through his now light brown hair, "What am I going to do? I should have stayed home. Maybe even let Black Ruins take me. By coming here, I'm risking your lives as well as the life of children! I can't do that. It's not in my place. I don't want more people suffering because of me."

Sandy walked towards him and patted him in the arm. Aster took a deep breath, "At least Manny won't let him come here. I know he won't. Unless . . ." At this, he paled and his hair turned black and his eyes golden. He gave out an exasperated yell, "I'm so stupid! He'll go after them!" He hit his head on the wall, "Damn! I've just put my friends in danger!"

_**~~~FBW~~~**_

It was a cool, chilly night, the snowflakes falling from the sky slowly, dancing as they made their descent. The delicate snow was falling in the small town of Burgess, the hometown of the beloved Guardian Jack Frost. It was in this city that a young male was standing on one of the rooftops, staring at the people.

The male looked to be around seventeen years old and wore dark blue jeans and a simple long-sleeved red shirt. He had a black vest that reached up to his waist, making the boy look ominous. His hair was black with light blue-green eyes and tan skin. He wore dark shoes and had his arms crossed in front of his chest. Strapped on his back was a black and silver scythe.

The teenager looked up at the Moon, "Where is he? Answer me, please! He's been missing for three days already! We're all worried sick! Does Black Ruins have him?! Tell me, where is Aster?!"

"Scream louder, will ya? You might even attract the attention of some kids." A new voice inputted. The boy turned to see a female standing across from the roof he was in. He narrowed his eyes, "If it isn't Rowan, the spirit who's center is respect. In other words, a spirit who kids will never see or believe in."

She snorted, rolling her eyes at his words that stung her but she didn't allow it to show, "Charming as ever, Arwyn, friendship spirit. Now that's what I find ironic. The friendship spirit being not so friendly. Wonder how that sweet kid Aster got tangled up with you as a best friend."

Rowan was a fairly normal looking teenage girl, with a physical appearance of a fifteen year old girl. Her flaming red hair with golden streaks reached up to her shoulders and her eyes were amethyst. She was wearing a simple light purple dress that reached up to her knees. She was barefoot and, on her hands, was a fan that was dangerous when used.

Arwyn looked down, "He's still missing and no one has yet to have heard about him. I'm worried. Is it possible that the creep Black Ruins has him? And his parents were both killed. Damn it! Everything was finally right in their lives! Our lives, too! We were safe, all of us!"

Rowan crossed her arms in front of her, jumping from the current rooftop and standing next to Arwyn, "That Black Ruins has been catching spirits in a frenzy. If he's doing this, that means he hasn't gotten his prize yet. You know what that means, don't you, Arwyn?"

"That means that Aster's okay." He replied and she nodded, "Exactly! So stop worrying about him, will ya? He's his mother's son and you know she was tough both physically and mentally! Aster's going to be alright."

"You guys haven't caught wind of Aster either?"

Arwyn turned to see a small girl around ten years old coming towards them. She was jumping on the rooftops. Her light brown hair with green streaks was up in two ponytails. Her eyes were emerald green and she wore a light green dress that reached up to her ankles, showing her thin barefooted feet.

Rowan blinked, "Aria? I thought you were in Japan!"

Aria landed on Arwyn's left, her ponytails floating in the air for a brief moment until gravity reclaimed them and they slowly descended. She patted her dress, before answering, "I _was_ in Japan. That is until Zayden told me that our friend Aster was missing, his parents were both murdered and Black Ruins has been in a rampage kidnapping spirits!"

"Zayden called you? The patience spirit called you?" Rowan asked, blinking, and Aria nodded, "Yup! He was right behind me but I got excited when I saw you guys here! So I might have left him behind. . ."

"Patience is a virtue, Aria. I knew that these two weren't going anywhere anytime soon." A male voice stated and they all turned to face the newcomer. The male seemed to be around eighteen and had curly blonde hair with light blue streaks and golden eyes. He was dressed in a light blue shirt and black pants. Like the others, he was barefooted.

Aria grinned at him, a wide grin plastered on her face, "Sorry, Zay! I was really excited! I haven't seen you guys in ages, is all!" Zayden shook his head, sighing deeply, "I could've told you something nasty in response to that but, because you're the kindness spirit, I won't do that."

"Love you too, Zay!" Aria said and Zayden patted her head, smiling at her. He turned serious and crossed his arms in front of him, "Aster is missing and has been missing for three days. His parents are dead; Black Ruins is capturing spirits and doing who knows what with them. And the Guardians . . ."

"Can't we get Pitch to help?" Aria asked.

Arwyn raised an eyebrow, "In all honesty, do you really think Pitch will help us? He's the one who told us to hide! But I refuse to hide. Aster needs us and we have no idea where he is and whether or not he's alive!"

"I heard honesty. I am here, guys." A new voice said and they looked up to see two girls flying above them. The one that had spoken had light green hair with pink highlights and pink eyes. The girl next to her had pink hair with light green highlights and green eyes. Both of them wore red shirts and blue skirts. Unlike the others, the two girls wore blacks boots and

"Rayne! Sariya!" Aria launched herself at them. The one known as Rayne caught the small spirit and placed her down when both females landed on the rooftop to stand with the other teenage-looking spirits. Sariya patted the smaller girl's head, causing her grin to expand.

"The gang's all here. Well, with the exception of Aster." Arwyn noted, nodding at the honesty spirit and the perseverance spirit, who looked at their surroundings. Sariya, the perseverance spirit, sighed, "Three days and no sign of him. And the other spirits have gone into hiding. Like how we should be doing. . ."

"But Aster . . ." Aria sighed, "We were fools, blinded by our own problems. As soon as that psychotic Black Ruins started stalking Aster, we should've told the Guardians. Then again, how could we have known that his obsession for Aster would go this far? I just wish . . ."

"Wishful thinking will get us nowhere." Zayden interrupted her. He looked up at the sky, "Only he knows the answers. Unfortunately for us, he will not answer, despite the urgency. We have to find Aster on our own. And for us to do that, we need to figure out where he was before he escaped."

"That worried about my precious frozen butterfly, little dolls? Like me, you won't be able to ever find him. Especially because he's gone to a place where none of us can ever find him." All six of the spirits gasped and went back-to-back as the dreaded spirit Black Ruins appeared before them.

"Black Ruins." Arwyn growled, taking out his scythe and holding it protectively in front of him, one of the only defenses the spirits had against the new threat, "What do you mean by that? Where is Aster?! Wait, an even better question, what have you done to him?"

Black Ruins smirked and held out a necklace, making it swing hypnotically in front of them, "Don't worry, little dolls. Aster has just been sent away to a time different from our own, an era where he'll be safe from me. But we're going to pay them a visit and take what belongs to us."

Aria gasped recognizing the necklace, "That's-."

Rowan growled, trying to jump but finding that her legs were being unresponsive, "What have you done to us? Why can't we move?!" All of them tried to move their feet but found that, like Rowan, they were unable to do it.

Black Ruins smirked, continuing to swing the key in front of their faces. "I have control over you. And you shall lead me straight to my little doll. Now sleep, little ones." The six all stopped struggling and fell limp, fast asleep.

He grinned at he had done and looked up at the Moon, "No matter where and _when_ you send him, I shall always find him. He belongs to me. And I'm going to possess him, no matter what." 

_**~~~FBW~~~**_

**Anime: Did I do good? I hope I did. Black Ruins is such a creepy dude, ain't he? My poor little Aster being stalked by him. Also, if anyone wants to know what happened in that snowball fight (Jack Vs. Aster Vs. Alice), I can make a one-shot for it. And Alice isn't in love with Jack like Jack is with her. She only has feelings for him.**

**Alice: *raises eyebrow* 'her precious light and symbol of happiness Jack'?**

**Anime: I had to do it! Don't kill me! You see, I'm also showing my reasons for shipping this. I could've easily shipped Jelsa (which I don't) or Jackunzel (Don't ship that either) but this shipping called to me. First, they're not your typical lovey-dovey couple. Second, they can both protect themselves. Third, they complete each other. Jack is fun and everything but I don't peg him as serious or mature like the way Alice is. Alice, on the other hand, has lost everything, including her carefree self. Jack's happy demeanor represents what she's lost and what she could get. That's my story.**

**Jaden: Is there a deep history for all of your shippings?**

**Anime: Ah . . . no, just for this one.**

**Jehu: And just when we were starting to respect you . . .**

**Jack: So, Haou has yanked out Bumby's toe nails and cut his toes. Are we throwing alcohol on him now?**

**Haou: Yes!**

**Alice: You can torture Bumby but not Pitch?**

**Anime: Nope. I actually like Pitch. He represents the darkness and I think it's cool. Besides, I feel sorry for what happened to him. I like stories where he shows up! **

**Pitch: I'm honored.**

**Aster: You know the drill! Review, please. When we get at least two reviews, we're gonna gut Bumby like a fish and then dunk him in that tub of alcohol Anime prepared for this day! And check out chapter three when it shows up. **


	4. Chapter 3: Family Counts

**Anime: *hiding behind Goku* Is the coast clear of any enraged readers?**

**Haou: What enraged readers? **

**Jehu: Only Scorpiofreak and Hood want you to update. Scorpiofreak, in fact, was your only review in the last chapter.**

**Anime: Ah . . . *cue depressing music***

**Jack: Where'd that come from?**

**Jaden: This chapter has a little mix of Jalice and Aster! It was beta-read by the amazing Scorpiofreak! *cheering in the background* Make some noise for this awesome beta! This chapter is dedicated to you! And we have a guest joining us!**

**Tyson: Johnny Depp dressed as the Mad Hatter?**

**Anime: Hood, the one who made this story possible.**

**Hood: Hello, I love Jalice and I'm here to torture Bumby with you guys. And to make sure Anime works on this instead of reading fanfics.**

**Anime: Yes, Master.**

**Jehu: I think she and I will get along nicely.**

**Aster: Warnings of language and weird author ranting. **

**Anime: I don't rant! Take it back or you'll be a part of Internet obscurity. Oh wait, you are.**

**Jack: She became awfully sarcastic.**

**Hood: She's always like that.**

**Alice: Just get on with the story. The song that seems to fit most of the chapter is Diamond by alan while the other suits I Hate Everything About You by Three Days Grace.**

**Hood: I like those songs!**

**Yugi: We're not torturing Bumby this chapter because we didn't reach our quota of at least two reviews per chapter. *groans heard in the background* Review after this and help us reach that quota! We need to torture the bastard!**

**Hood: So my plan to burn his [bleep!] is ruined? Aw. And who turned on the censorship button on?**

**Jaden: So that's what it does. Huh. **

**Yusei: Anime doesn't own any characters of the story or here in her author's notes. She only owns Aster, Arwyn, Rowan, Aria, Zayden, Sariya and Rayne. Those last six had a terrible cameo appearance in chapter 2.**

**Anime: I regret nothing in life . . . Except watching that one episode of Zexal . . . **

_**~~~FBW~~~**_

3: Family Counts

Alice was in the kitchen of a very normal-looking home. The light blue curtains were open, revealing clear skies and the bright sunshine. The garden that was visible from where Alice was standing was filled with roses of all colors, not to mention several other exotic looking flowers Alice had never seen before. The wind blew delicately, the flowers dancing to its music. A couple of leaves fell off the neighboring trees and floated in the wind.

Alice could smell the earth, a smell that she found lovely. The smell of the earth clashed with the scent of the several plants and the forest, making a sweet smell that Alice was starting to enjoy. The temperature was just right, neither hot nor cold. It was quiet and serene, and she took pleasure in the peaceful scene.

"Mommy!"

Alice blinked and saw a little boy, around five years old or so, run to her with outstretched arms. He wrapped his thin arms around her legs, giggling with childlike glee. The little boy looked up to look at her and Alice's eyes widened. The boy had a shock of white hair and piercing green eyes that Alice saw every time she looked in the mirror. As he was grinning, she could see the shining white teeth of the little boy and, much to her amusement, he was missing one front tooth. He was dressed in a light green sweater and light brown pants that barely reached to his ankles. He was also barefooted, allowing Alice to see his small, pale feet.

A chuckle was heard from the doorway of the kitchen and the little boy turned around at the sound of it, his brilliant green eyes instantly locking on the owner. He gave a squeal of delight at who he saw and, releasing his hold on the dark haired English woman, ran to the other occupant of the room, "Daddy!"

"Hey there, little snowflake! I hope that Tooth took good care of you while your Mom was busy decorating the house for your special party." Alice looked at the father of the child; the little boy who had called her mother, and what she saw, she couldn't believe.

Jack Frost was carrying the small child in his hands, looking extremely fatherly as his eyes shone with love and affection for the small boy in his hands. The little boy grinned at him, looking extremely happy as he spoke with his father, "I didn't make a peep! And I rode the winds, too!"

"Special party?" Alice asked, staring at the alien scene playing out in front of her. She didn't know why this family setting felt so good and right but, at the same time, wrong. She felt as if she didn't truly belong in this comfortable atmosphere.

Jack smiled at her, "Alice, don't you remember? Our little squirt here is going to have his first round alone with the kids and the Guardians wanted to celebrate this occasion. Not to mention several other spirits decided to come. After all, it's not every day this little scamp is going to work as if he's old enough."

"I am old enough!" The boy pouted, "I'm five and a half!"

Jack laughed at that and ruffled the white locks the child had obviously inherited from his father, "Sure you are, kiddo! But you're still our little devil and we're not ready to let you go out there. After all, it's a scary world out there!" Jack made a 'scary' face, which didn't faze the child or Alice.

The little boy instead grinned at Jack's words, but then attempted to look scared as he looked up at Jack and whispered, "Ruffians and thugs?" Alice raised her eyebrow as those lines started sounding very familiar, although it seemed the boy and Jack had changed the wording of it.

Jack nodded and told the child, in a small whisper, "Poison ivy and quicksand." The courage spirit shook her head, remembering the time both she and Jack had watched that movie during one of their daily rounds. Jack, of course, had loved that movie and often sang or recited some of the scenes that occurred in them.

"Cannibals and snakes?" The little boy inputted, his eyes widening in mock fear. This made his eyes, that resembled Alice's so much, to stand out more. The usually reserved courage spirit felt herself smile, mostly at the boy who looked like her and Jack.

Despite the fact that this was happening to her, she didn't feel as if she was properly integrated into this scene. She watched the father and son interact with a frown etched on her features. She felt like an outsider, looking at the life of a stranger through her own eyes.

"The plague!" Jack said in a low voice.

The child pretended to cry out in fear, placing both hands on his eyes as if to shield himself from the 'horrors' of the outside world, "No!" This amused Alice, seeing the small version of Jack with some of her qualities act afraid.

"Yes." Jack said and the child puffed out his small chest, "I could take 'em anytime, Daddy! Cause my mommy is Alice Liddell and my daddy is Jack Frost! And they're both in-bin-ca-ble. No one can beat them!"

"It's invincible." Alice interjected, causing Jack to laugh and the boy to pout.

Jack placed the little boy on the ground gently and patted his head affectionately, "Want to show your Mommy the trick you picked up in Tooth's palace?" Jack turned his attention to the raven haired spirit, "You're going to be amazed at this. Not even I knew that he could do this."

Alice watched as the boy closed his eyes in concentration and then became a swarm of white butterflies with blue edges on the wings. She gave out a slight gasp as those butterflies flew quickly up to the ceiling where they all formed to create Jack's – our, Alice quickly thought – son. The little boy grinned, "I can do Butterfly Dodge like you, Mommy!"

Jack kissed the distracted sharp woman in the cheek, causing her to look at him in shock, "You must be so proud of him. He's mastering techniques we learned with later experience. I bet that our little boy will grow up to be something extraordinary."

"That's me!" The little boy said, still floating upside-down on the ceiling and then Alice realized something with a jolt. There was a reason that the little boy seemed familiar to her. It wasn't because he had her eyes and most of Jack's physical traits; no it ran much deeper than that.

This innocent and happy child looked like the imagination spirit, Aster.

_**~~~FBW~~~ **_

Alice woke up with a start, her green eyes taking in where she was, calculating her surroundings, a habit she had picked up over the centuries. She was asleep in one of the spare bedrooms North had and she frowned. She hardly ever slept since she became a spirit so why start now? She sighed, knowing that odd dream must have been the creation of a certain dream spirit.

She stretched and winced when she heard a crashing sound nearby. She heard laughter and the yells of Bunny. She shook her head, knowing exactly who was annoying Bunny so early in the morning. She slowly got out of bed and looked outside to see she was right.

Jack was laughing, something Alice had gotten quite used to, but the difference was that his newly appointed shadow, Aster Frell, was by his side, joining him. Both of them were on top of the globe, taunting the intimidating Pooka who did not look amused at their antics.

"Frost! Frell! Get down here right now!" Bunny yelled, throwing his boomerangs at the two grinning spirits. Every time they neared, however, Jack would either freeze them, or Aster would create a wall of blue sand to knock them down. Both of them seemed to have forgotten about Bunny, engaging in a conversation instead.

Alice shook her head in amusement. Those two were so similar, it almost seemed as if they were mirror images, created to be with the other. _Or father and son_, a voice in her head whispered and the dream she had last night came rushing back to her. The dream where she and Jack had a child that resembled Aster.

But that dream hadn't felt like a dream. No, it seemed as real as what was going on now. She could still remember the smell of the garden and how clear the skies were. It felt like a memory . . . but those things never occurred to her, so whose memories had she witnessed?

_**~~~FBW~~~ **_

"Okay, Jack, question number 6. What's your favorite color?" Aster asked, his legs dangling on the globe that seemed to have more golden lights than before, a result of more children believing in the Guardians as the days passed by. He and Jack were both ignoring Bunny's screaming, much to the Pooka's annoyance.

Jack thought about it for a moment, raising a hand up to freeze one of Bunny's boomerangs before it hit him in the face, and then he smiled, "Blue, like my sweater. What about yours?"

"Green." Aster said with a grin, looking up at the ceiling and observing what was going on around them, waving at the Yetis who ignored in favor of continuing their work, "Very symbolic color. Your favorite color usually says a lot about you, did you know?"

"Really?"

"Yup! Your favorite color, blue, usually represents calmness but it also represents trust, peace, loyalty, integrity as well as conservatism and frigidity. Green represents balance, growth, self-reliance and hope. It also has negative representations like possessiveness and envy but it's a nice color."

"You're so deep, Frell. Who could guess you were such a nerd." Jack said teasingly. Aster stuck out his tongue, attempting to look offended at the comment. Not even two seconds later, both of them started laughing.

Aster rolled his eyes, still smiling. He turned his gaze to the lights on the globe, "And you're so immature, Frost. You might look like you're a teenager but, please, act your age for once."

Jack rolled his eyes as well at Aster's words, nudging the imagination spirit's shoulder to get his attention, "You act like you're offended by my comments but I know better, Aster. You love me and my immatureness, as you call it. Fun and imagination are related, in a way. Besides, if I acted my age, I'd have to pretend to be ashes, considering how long I've been a spirit."

Aster chuckled, "Yeah, I know, that's why I was kidding when I said that. And you're hard to stay mad at. I wonder if it was that 'charm' of yours that allowed you to escape death when you hit Alice Liddell in the face with that snowball and you weren't that badly injured. I mean, she hit you in the back of the head just as hard, if not harder. I was sure you were seeing stars. Although, she was staring at you as hard as you were her."

Jack coughed loudly at the observation and Aster laughed at his antics, "Come on, I might seem like a kid to you but I can tell that you feel more than friendship towards her. So, how long have you liked Alice? Have you told anyone else? Have you made any moves to win her hand?"

"Hey, you're not following the rules of our game, Frell!" Jack accused the smirking imagination spirit, "It's my turn to ask you a question. And bombarding me with a lot of questions when it's my turn, isn't fair!"

"Goodness, is that a blush I see?" Aster said and Jack pushed him to the side, the blush on his face darkening despite his effort to get rid of it. Sometimes, your body just didn't listen to your mind. Aster laughed, looking like the epitome of happiness with his yellow hair and eyes. But Jack knew better.

Aster was smiling and laughing but what he was wearing in his face was a forlorn smile, the type you give to people to reassure them even though you need to be reassured yourself. His eyes were swirling with his hidden emotions, the ones he was desperately trying to push down. The most prominent ones were pain, sadness and guilt; all emotions Jack didn't want the other to display.

He knew that Aster was still suffering; after all, his parents had been brutally killed about four days ago in front of him. This was having an impact on the young spirit. Jack had never experienced it before, but that didn't mean that he hadn't heard of the term 'survivor's guilt'.

Jack had caught Aster when he stared at Alice yesterday almost longingly. Jack would have confronted him if it wasn't for the fact that Aster looked more like he wanted to run up to her and cry. That scene had lasted for about ten seconds before Aster donned his mask of happiness once more.

Aster turned to him, "Hn? What's wrong? You spaced out there."

Jack waved his hand dismissively, taking notice of Aster's hair turning light brown in worry, "I'm alright. I'm just thinking about how Christmas is right around the corner. It's already ten days away."

Aster blinked and his hair turned orange in confusion. He looked at the ground below them and mumbled something Jack didn't catch. Jack blinked, "Is something wrong? Why are you so confused? Aster?"

Aster stood, his hair and eyes turning a deep shade of blue, one Jack was slowly getting accustomed to. He created his mask of happiness again as he faked a smile, "I gotta go. Catch you later, Jack."

He jumped off the globe and flew away. Jack stood up when he had jumped and watched him go. For a moment, Jack thought he was imagining things when he saw shiny teardrops fall out of Aster's eyes as he flew away, but he knew otherwise. He knew his eyes didn't deceive him. He didn't like Aster's sadness but how can you console a person who lost everything only four days ago?

"He was crying."

Jack jumped at the new voice and saw it was only Alice. She walked closer to him until she was by his side, causing him to blush at how close she was. The raven haired spirit usually avoided contact with people and she usually kept her space. This was the reason why Jack couldn't help but note that their shoulders were nearly brushing. She looked at Jack in the eye, "Could you care to tell me what got him so upset? Tell me it wasn't one of your 'slip-ups', Jackson. Honestly, you can be a brute to others when it comes to their feelings."

Jack winced at her reprimanding tone of voice. He didn't like it when people talk to him using that manner and it wasn't very comforting coming from the sharp-minded Englishwoman. He looked away, "I didn't 'slip-up'. He probably remembered the murder of his parents. I mean, it only happened four days ago but he was asleep three of those days. It's recent in his mind. The fact that I got him to smile felt like an achievement and it was a sad smile."

Alice crossed her arms in front of her, "I'm glad you noticed and didn't remain oblivious to his feelings. Even from a distance, I could see his pain. He's done a good job in hiding it but it's there."

"I wish I could help him. I see him suffering but I can't do anything to at least lessen the pain. I feel weak and helpless, like when Pitch consumed Sandy two years ago. I'm experiencing that all over again and I don't like it. Can't I do anything?" Jack asked, looking at Alice in the eyes.

Alice sighed, "When a child loses their parents, it is something that they can never forget, no matter what, and it will haunt their lives. They might move on with life but they never forget the pain of losing someone they care about. It's something that will always be in the back of their minds. Trust me, Jackson. I speak from personal experience."

"Jack."

Alice blinked, "I beg your pardon?"

Jack smiled at her, a hint of a blush visible in his pale white cheeks, "Just call me Jack, alright? You're the only person I know who calls me Jackson. And, to be honest, I would like it if you just called me Jack. It's more comfortable. And I want to be relaxed when I'm with you."

Alice stared at him, those green eyes piercing into him. She didn't know why she felt happy at hearing Jack ask her to call him by his shortened name. She knew that, had she been anyone else, she would've smiled right then and there. But she was Alice Liddell and her cold exterior protected her from the world. She hid her emotions and kept a blank face, no matter what.

So when did her cold barriers protecting her heart start to melt?

Right. It started when Jackson Overland Frost, the upstart winter spirit, came into her life two years ago. Despite the fact that he was an ice spirit, he had slowly started melting her cold outer self. He didn't even know what he was doing to her. The thing that Alice wondered about was how could he have that effect on her and why did she like the feelings that she felt whenever he was around? She wanted to tell him about what was happening to her and what role he played in this but Alice didn't mind keeping that to herself. She was going to keep her musings in her own head. At least for now.

She gave Jack a slight smirk, "Whatever you say. . ." She started walking away, much to the white haired male's disappointment. Jack sighed, missing having her close to him. He wasn't going to tell her how he felt, though. Not yet, not now. He was going to wait until the time was right. After all, were they even considered friends or were they nothing more than colleagues?

Alice turned to Jack, that smirk still on her lips, "_Jack_."

Alice jumped off the globe and gracefully landed on the ground. She glanced at the flabbergasted Jack and chuckled before walking away. Jack couldn't help but blush as he heard Alice's voice inside his mind calling him 'Jack' again. He placed a hand on his chest, feeling his heart beat faster.

Maybe they were becoming friends. But would that be enough for Jack?

_**~~~FBW~~~ **_

Aster didn't care where he was going, especially because he couldn't see due to his tears. All he knew is that he just rode the winds to get away from Jack before his imminent emotional breakdown. He didn't want anyone around when he did let it all out. Bottling up his feelings . . . he learned that from his mother.

Aster landed on a tree branch that was able to support his weight. He drew his knees in and wrapped his arms around them. He lowered his head and sobbed, finally making noises. He could keep his feelings at bay like his mother but they were eventually released, one way or another. At times like this, he was similar to his father, who wore his heart on his sleeve.

"Mom . . . Dad." Aster croaked out between sobs. He gave out an anguished cry, the wail piercing the silent night. His sobbing increased, the tears that he had been holding back finally being released. He'd try to ignore the pain in his heart that had emerged and occupied it since the death of his parents. They'd always been by his side, helping him. Yet he could do nothing as he watched them die. All he had done was cry, just like he was now.

"Look at me now, Mom . . ." He cried, speaking between his sobs, "I'm pathetic, aren't I? I don't deserve to be your son. You and the sister I'll never meet, are dead because I didn't have the guts to do anything! I could have saved you. . . I failed you, Father, and Elizabeth. . . If I was half the spirit you were, you'd still be here. . ."

He looked up, shiny tears running down the side of his face. His blue eyes were rimmed with red due to the tears he had shed. He looked up to face the moon, "Why did you bring me here, of all times? Why do you torment me by having them so close to me but so far at the same time? Do you enjoy my suffering? My parents are so close to me but they're not the same people I called family. I want them back. Please give them back."

He touched the fabric of the jacket, one of the only reminders he had of his home and the people he considered family. He closed his eyes, trying to think back to those days when life had seemed simpler. . .

_**~~~FBW~~~ **_

"_Oh, wow!" Aster said as he unsheathed his red katana from its sheath, the blade gleaming in the light, "Mom, this is amazing! It's so well balanced and its design is so intricate! I can't believe you made it by yourself! You shouldn't have done it if it caused you so much trouble. I mean, with sis and all-."_

"_Your mother's fine. She made that katana with pride." His father chuckled, ruffling Aster's currently yellow hair, "It's not every day that the New Year's natural born spirit finally turns sixteen." Aster's mother rolled her eyes at that, her hands resting on her stomach that was already showing signs of her second pregnancy._

_The window opened with a powerful gust of wind. Aster gave out a yell as he felt some of his presents hitting him on the forehead. Jack and Alice shared a look and smiled, knowing exactly who had just made that entrance._

"_How's the Frost family?" Tooth asked as she zipped inside their house in Oxford through the open window, "Oh, Alice, your stomach is showing! I hope the baby girl is healthy and inherits your good looks. And where's the birthday boy?" Tooth squealed and flew towards Aster, hugging him as he laughed._

"_Aunt Tooth! You came!" He laughed in glee, Tooth releasing him. A small mini-fairy zipped in the air, smiling at him. He smiled back, "And you brought Baby Tooth. Before you ask, yes, I've been taking care of my teeth. They're as clean as ever! Those are the benefits of having your aunt be the Tooth Fairy."_

"_So, miniature Snowstorm, did ya really think we'd miss your birthday? Nah, Alice would have our heads and I'd like to keep mine firmly on my shoulders." Bunny asked as appeared from one of his tunnels. _

"_Mom wouldn't kill you!" Aster laughed._

_**~~~FBW~~~ **_

Aster gave out a yell of anguish, holding his head. He took off the Moonstone hanging from his neck and threw it, seeing it land on the snow below him. He glared at it, "It was all for you! I lost them for you! I hate you! I wish I had never gotten you! I should've destroyed you!"

His hair drained of color, turning white and his eyes turned green. He stood, his head hanging. He hated himself for not doing anything as Black Ruins killed his parents. He wanted the roles to be reversed. He wanted to be dead.

"I thought being here would make me feel better. I thought it would help me cope. But . . . It's only made it worst. My feelings are a bloody mess! I'm happy I have them but I can't stop thinking about the night they were killed in front of me. I can't forget that they don't know who I am. . ." His shoulders sagged, the tears increasing. He angrily wiped them away, sniffing.

"I am Aster Nick Frost, only son of Jack Frost and Alice Liddell. I am strong enough. I can handle this. I . . ." Aster said between his tears. He hugged himself, sitting down on the branch. He felt so alone, just like when he was a kid. However, his mother had created a companion so he wouldn't be alone.

It had been so long since he had actually sought the company of his mother's creation, but it was a reminder of her. His old friend was just the thing to help him cope with his loss. Now, all he had to do was retrieve him. Aster looked at his jacket and reached into his pocket. He mumbled something under his breath and a small, stuffed rabbit came out of it.

The rabbit was old, worn by age. It used to be light blue, but it had some gray spots. It had black button eyes but one was already falling off. His nose was a black dot with whiskers and his mouth was sewn in. He had a black top hat with snow patterns and was wearing butler attire.

Aster smiled at it and, with his free hand, created his blue mist. He placed some on the rabbit, whose nose twitched. It opened its mouth, "My word, Aster, you haven't brought me to life in years. You were only six years old. How old are you now?"

"James, Mother and Father are dead." Aster deadpanned.

James's button eyes widened. If he had been truly alive, he would have had a shocked face, "Oh . . . I'm so sorry for your loss. They were wonderful parents and creators. Who was it? I mean, who could take down Jack Frost and Alice Liddell? I thought your unknown protector would protect you. . ."

"My unknown protector was Black Ruins."

"Black Ruins? Who is that? I've never heard of a spirit going by that name." James asked, turning his head to the side in confusion.

"He's the one who killed my parents."

James patted Aster's arm as a sign to comfort him. Aster smiled at his efforts, although the pain of his loss still hurt him. He stood, getting a pensive look in his features, "James, I'm here crying my eyes out for my parents like any normal child. Yet, I wasn't raised as a normal child. Does that mean that there is no true definition of a 'normal child'?"

"What?" James asked. Aster shook his head, as if telling him to forget it. James sighed at his odd antics. Despite not being with the boy for ten years of his life, the imagination spirit hadn't changed. Well, that wasn't necessarily true. He had changed, although not a lot of people would notice. James noticed because he was close to the young Frost.

Before, when he was an innocent child, those eyes were alive with happiness, curiosity and innocence. Aster's eyes now bore sadness and pain, emotions that stemmed from the murder of his living family. His eyes didn't seem to belong in his youthful face. Those were the eyes of someone who had seen the true horrors of life. This was not the Aster that James used to know. That child was gone.

"I know I'm safe here in this time. . . But what about in my time? Black Ruins is a psychopath, obsessed with owning me and having power. He'll do anything to get here. My friends . . . I know they're in trouble. And it's my fault again."

"I know it must be hard. But you have to be strong." James said, "Living but dying inside is the same thing as being dead. Sometimes, to continue living despite being so hurt, you have to keep moving forward. And, no matter what, don't look back."

Aster gazed at his old toy. His mother had created James, modeling him after the White Rabbit from her Wonderland. His father also helped bringing it to life, although it was mostly Alice who created James. Before learning to control his powers, Aster would still speak with the inanimate rabbit. It had been his only companion in his lonely childhood in Oxford.

"Maybe you're right about that, James." He mumbled. He jumped off the tree branch, slowly descending until he reached the ground. He crouched down and retrieved the Moonstone that he had thrown in his anger. He couldn't just leave it there. His parents died to protect this. And he was going to keep it safe, for them. He placed it around his neck again, instantly causing his hair and eyes to change to light blue. Aster turned to James, "Well, let's go."

James jumped off the branch and Aster held out his hand. A blue mist came out of the rabbit's body and traveled down to Aster's hand, making James inanimate again. Aster caught the old rabbit as it was falling and smiled at it, "Thank you, my old friend, for always being there for me."

_**~~~FBW~~~ **_

Arwyn was suspended on the air, coils of darkness wrapped around his ankles and legs. His arms were spread out while his legs were kept together, reminding Arwyn a little of Jesus in the cross. Huh. Since when did he think about religion? Considering he was a spirit, having a religion never crossed his mind. Ha. Crossed. Jesus in a cross. Man, he was losing his mind if he was internally laughing at his own, lame jokes.

His clothes were shredded, blood dripping out of some of the injuries where Black Ruins had attacked him during those interrogation sessions. His black hair covered his light blue-green eyes, hiding his haggard expression. His shoes and scythe were gone. Blood was dripping out of the side of his head and from the corner of his mouth. Arwyn already knew that he looked as bad as he felt. And he felt like crap.

He looked up, some strands of his dark hair covering his eyes. Immediately, he was met by the sight of his other friends dangling in the same position as his own. All of them were as bloodied and beaten-up as Arwyn was. But, for their friend Aster, they'd die before revealing where he could've gone with the Moonstone's power of time travel.

Aster. Had it really been four days since he had last seen him? It had felt longer than that. Perhaps it had been. He had lost count. He missed the cheerful and gentle imagination spirit. Aster was his best friend and always looked out for him. It was Arwyn's turn to look out for him. He wasn't going to allow this obsessive man find Aster. Even if he was threatened with death, Arwyn would not talk.

"_I know your center!"_

"_Do you?"_

"_Uh-huh! I bet it's friendship!"_

The friendship spirit closed his eyes, remembering Aster's voice, back when he was a child. The youth had become Arwyn's first friend in seventy years, helping him find his center, and to make new friends, opposed to being antisocial. Who knew what kind of emotional damage Black Ruins had inflicted on the innocent boy when he had murdered Jack and Alice.

Jack and Alice. The strongest people Arwyn had known and now they were gone. They were strong both physically and mentally (Aster had once told him that Alice was stronger than Jack but that was their secret). Despite the obstacles in their paths, they had managed to overcome them. They were true warriors and Arwyn had grown to respect them over the years. Not only were they both Guardians and their prowess was well known but because they had given birth to Aster, the first known spirit to be born out of the union of two Guardians.

When he had first heard of the two Guardians nearly forty years ago, he didn't know how it was possible for two completely opposite people to be together. Jack was loud and outgoing while Alice was usually silent and reserved. These two were like fire and water, light and darkness. It was a mystery how they had gotten together. But they had and Arwyn later learned, four years ago, a phrase Aster told him when he had asked how the boy's parents were together when they were so different.

"_Opposites don't attract. No, they complete the other."_

"You're awake."

Arwyn glared to the best of his abilities and managed to pull it off. The blood covering his body helped his situation. "Black Ruins." Arwyn spat out in obvious distaste. The man who had killed Arwyn's idols was standing by the doorway, a mad grin on his face. His eyes seemed to glow in the darkness while the rest of him seemed to blend in perfectly in the shadows.

"Arwyn, the friendship spirit. An odd center for someone like you, but I don't judge. It seems rather fitting to know that you are my Aster's best friend. You might have given him some good company."

"Don't speak of him like he's _your_ property! Aster belongs to no one! I'd rather see him in the hands of a person I don't know than see him in _your_ grasp!" Arwyn shouted. He had sworn to Jack two years ago that he'd protect Aster if something would befall them. He would not go back on his promise.

Black Ruins walked smoothly towards him and Arwyn growled, his eyes promising pain if he would to touch him. The death spirit looked at him in dislike, "Tch. I think I see where else my frozen butterfly got his fiery nature."

"Hn. I see that taught him well." Arwyn smirked while the other spirit glared harshly at him, "After all, I was trained by his mother, once upon a time. Alice Liddell is the strongest woman I know. Even in death, she is more powerful than you will ever be."

Arwyn's head whipped to the right with the force of the death spirit's blow. The teenaged spirit glared at the other, blood coming out of his mouth already. Black Ruins pulled Arwyn's head back, the other wincing in pain by having his hair being pulled but not yelling out in pain.

"Listen here, Arwyn," He hissed in a dangerous tone, Arwyn closing his mouth so "I'm at the end of my patience. I have waited ten years in the shadows to claim what is mine and I won't allow you or these pathetic little spirits to get in my way. You shall tell me where my Aster is or suffer the consequences. Am I understood?"

In response, Arwyn spat on his face. Due to the fact that he had been injured recently, his saliva was mixed with blood. Arwyn shot him a smirk, blood dripping out of his mouth slowly. Black Ruins punched him again, making him cry out in pain, "Son of a bitch! Tell me where Aster is now!"

"Rot in Hell. That's where you belong." The younger male growled.

Black Ruins placed a hand on the dark-haired boy's cheek, "I'm being quite merciful with you only because I don't want my Aster to be angry at me for hurting you. He was quite upset when I murdered his parents, you see. But he looks so beautiful broken, just like his mother."

"You disgust me, you delusional freak. What is wrong with you? You've stalked Aster, attempted to rape him, murdered his parents and now you've hurt his closest friends. Is this your sick way of showing affection? Excuse Aster for not being turned on, you sick fuck!"

Black coils wrapped themselves around the youth's neck. He gagged, eyes widening as he tried to catch his breath. He writhed around, his ragged breathing making Black Ruins smile in glee. He snapped his fingers and the coils withdrew, causing Arwyn to immediately take huge gulps of breath. He hung his head low, appearing to be unconscious.

"Insults will not be tolerated, filth. I am only keeping you alive to find a way to find Aster. As soon as I have him, you six are useless to me." Black Ruins said, his voice smooth and calm. Perhaps it was his tone that caused Arwyn to shiver in fear for the future. He feared for his own life, the life of his friends and, most importantly, the object of this man's obsession.

"_I fear I don't have long to live."_

"_What? Why do you say that, Jack-?"_

"_Arwyn, please listen to me. Promise me you'll care for Aster if something were to happen to Alice or me. I'm afraid I need reassurance."_

"_Of course. I swear that I'll take care of him."_

Failure wasn't an option. Arwyn had a promise to keep and a debt to repay. He wasn't going to let down his old mentor or the spirit he had grown to see as a father figure. He had to keep Aster away from this psycho, no matter what.

Black Ruins left the room with an evil chuckle when he had seen the youth's reaction. As soon as the door slammed closed, Arwyn turned to look at the motionless Rowan and whispered to her, "He's gone, now. You can move."

Rowan looked up, one of her eyes swollen shut when Black Ruins had hit her as she had bit his arm as he attempted to hurt Aria. Her hair was darker as she had been neglecting taking care of it and her clothing looked as if it had been burned. She shook her head, "That man is nuts! Geez, how did Aster befriend this guy and not notice how psychotic he is? I didn't think he was that naïve."

"Aster sees the best in people," Aria mumbled, "It comes with the fact that he's so young." Her hair was no longer up in her trademark ponytails and her usually lively emerald eyes were dull. Her dress was ripped as if a cat had attacked her. Blood ran down the side of her head and there was a trail of dried tears on her cheeks, noticeable due to her current dirtied state.

"How long have we been stuck here?" Rowan groaned. She could only estimate how long they had been stuck in this dark room where the shadows feasted on their fear and played with their minds. It was terrifying being in this room.

"About a month." Zayden said hoarsely, speaking as if he hadn't had anything to drink in days. The patience spirit had burns on his legs and arms, his clothes shredded and burned with his blood soaking his shirt. He had blood coming out of one eye and from his nose where he had been punched harshly. He had bruises visible on his arms and on his face. Zayden was the favorite punching bag of the death spirit, mostly because he didn't fight back.

"Nnh. . . We have to get out." Sariya whispered. Her hair was covering her face, hiding the blood that hid under it. Her shirt was split on the back, showing some of her most recent whippings by the hands of the man who had them here. Her arms were littered with slash marks that each represented a day. This was a sick, twisted way that Black Ruins let them know how long they had been there.

"We can do this . . . right?" Rayne asked her. Her long hair that she had been proud of had been cut extremely short, almost boy-like. She also no longer had any bangs covering her face, allowing them all to see the bruises and cuts she had. She was pale, as one of the punishments that were bestowed upon her was being dropped into water filled with leeches and she was to remain there for at least thirty minutes. She hardly slept, making some black bags to appear below her eyes.

"Yeah." Arwyn tried to give them a reassuring smile but, really, he only wanted to reassure himself. He was afraid. He wouldn't admit it out loud but he was absolutely terrified of what Black Ruins was going to do to them next. He seemed to have an endless amount of ways to torture people.

"We're going to survive." Sariya whispered. She repeated it over and over again, as if it were her mantra. She closed her eyes, a quiver in her voice. She was supposed to be the perseverance spirit yet she felt as if she had given up the battle. No. She was supposed to be strong. She had to be strong like Alice Liddell, who had been brave and continued to be so after her death.

"Let's hope for the best." Aria sobbed out, those tears appearing in her face again. She sniffed as she held back her tears. She had to be brave for everyone else. They were all afraid. She would smile to hide her fear and sadness. It was something she did to help others.

She was afraid that Aster had picked up that habit of hers.

_**~~~FBW~~~ **_

Black Ruins was watching the children playing in the park, laughing and giggling excitedly. It'd be a treat to kill them but there was a reason why he hadn't killed them yet. And that reason was the little six year old boy with black hair and green eyes that had a brilliant smile. It only served as a reminder of his frozen butterfly when he was a child.

_**~~~FBW~~~ **_

"_I believe I can fly~!" Aster yelled out in a sing-song voice. He was wearing a blue shirt with a striped black-and-white sweater underneath. He was wearing black trousers that made it up to his knees and he had a necklace around his neck that had an omega ornament. _

"_Wait for me, Aster!" A floating rabbit called out as it chased the little boy. Aster giggled, stopping in midair as he continued to control the wind around him. His green eyes that he had inherited from his mother were bright and happy while his white hair he had gotten from his father was wild and wind-tossed._

"_It's not my fault you're too slow, James!" The child told the stuffed animal he had given life to in order to cope with his loneliness. Black Ruins had watched the small child with admiration. Even at that young age, he was showing signs of beauty. Watching the striking child mesmerized the death spirit, something that he hadn't felt in centuries._

_Aster twirled in the sky gracefully and hummed a simple tune. As soon as the rabbit caught up to him, he began to sing:_

"_One to three, eyes on me!_

_Want to hear the tale of Alice and Jack?_

_Once you hear it, you won't go back!_

_These two are different in every way_

_They were about as similar as night and day_

_No one knows how they fell in love_

_Of course, they don't question Cupid who flies above_

_Jack and Alice, what a team!_

_Jack and Alice, what a duo!_

_I should know this tale well_

_As I am Aster Nick Frost Liddell._

_I am their one and only child_

_Don't worry, my madness is only mild._

_Like my father, I'm wild_

_Like my mother, I'm intelligent._

_Oops, that's not what I meant!"_

_Aster laughed at his own mad tune he had created and his rabbit raised an eyebrow at his antics, "Mad as a hatter, aren't you?" Because his mother had told him about her Mad Hatter in Wonderland, Aster merely smiled at the phrase, feeling proud rather than offended._

"_Why, thank you for the comment, James! I am indeed mad as a hatter" He laughed again, creating a hat using his powers. He tipped the hat towards the rabbit and giggled, much to the rabbit's amusement. They were so entertained in each other's company that both of them were oblivious to the eyes watching them from a distance._

_**~~~FBW~~~ **_

This innocence of the spawn of Alice and Jack was what had first intrigued Black Ruins. The second thing that fascinated him was the boy's ability to be happy and laugh over the simplest of things. It was something that he did not have but this child did. He didn't want to admit it, but he had grown to love that laughter and smile.

Despite loving Aster's happiness to the point that he was addicted to it, he wanted to see a new facial expression on the boy. He wanted to see how this stunning boy looked broken.

He had finally seen him broken the day he murdered his parents Alice and Jack. He was just like his mother when she was broken, once upon a time. Yet, behind those sad and hurt orbs, he saw another emotion that he usually didn't associate with the imagination spirit. Rage.

Those expressive eyes told him that he was going to pay for what he had done and that's he'd suffer severely. Yes, Aster may have inherited most of his looks from his father but he shared many of Alice's emotions. When placed in the same environment, both mother and son reacted in the same way. Of course, with the influence of his father, Aster's rage was tame compared to his mother's.

Black Ruins looked up at the clear sky. He was going to find where exactly Man in the Moon had placed him in their timeline. And he was going to retrieve what belonged to him. He had waited ten years before making his move. He could wait a few more days. In the meantime . . .

Black Ruins waved a hand and all of the occupants in the park fell on the ground, coughing up blood. Many of the children sobbed as they did, some of them screaming in pain between the coughs. Amid all of this, one child watched in horror at this. One survivor would tell the tale of this day.

And the survivor was that little boy with the green eyes.

_**~~~FBW~~~ **_

Aster didn't know if what he was about to do was really brave and smart or really dumb. So far, he was leaning towards the latter. That didn't really help him at all with trying to calm his racing heart, but he had to do this. Even if the Guardians might frown down at him for his actions, Aster had to take his chances.

Black Ruins was going to come here to get him. Aster was sure of that. If he did come to this timeline, he would kill Alice and Jack and he'd be forced to relive the death of his parents. Not only that, but he was afraid that he'd also hurt the Guardians. Tooth, Sandy, Bunny and North would be killed merciless and he'd be alone. After all, Black Ruins would kill his friends after finding him.

This was his only option. The Guardians needed another ally and Aster knew just the right person for the job.

He landed on an ordinary clearing surrounded by a vast amount of trees . . . well, if you can call the clearing ordinary. There was a bed in the middle of the clearing, broken and old looking. Underneath the bed support, there was a hole visible where the darkness lurked.

Aster crouched down, peering through the bed frame, "Nightmare King, I call you from the shadows, hear me. Former hero of the Golden Age, Kozmotis Pitchiner, rise from the depths of the darkness. Appear, Pitch Black!"

The ground below him began to tremble and Aster placed a hand on the ground to steady himself. He looked at the hole to see black sand coming out of it. He lifted his left arm and black sand appeared from his hands, merging with the new sand. Aster trembled as the sand attached itself to his left arm, using his sand to replenish the weak Nightmare King.

"My, I didn't expect any visit. What brings you around these parts, boy?"

Aster looked up to see a tall, lithe man with a dark appearance standing in front of him. He had silver-golden yellow eyes that resembled an eclipse, dull pale-gray skin, and glossy black hair that was styled to come out as slick spikes from the back of his head. He was wearing a long, black robe with a V-neck line with shadows running down his arms, obscuring his body like a shadow.

"Pitch, as I know your name and who you are, it is only reasonable that I introduce myself and what my intentions are for being here. My name is Aster Nick Frost and I'm from eighty-five years into the future. I am here to ask for your assistance."

"Why should I assist you?" Pitch asked, looking at the younger male, "You're the spawn of Jack Frost, the one who placed me here in the first place."

"You shall help the Guardians and I because I know of a great evil that is fast approaching and a new power you have never heard of."

Pitch stopped and looked at the boy in front of him, narrowing his eyes. The other met his gaze, his green eyes piercing right into his mind. Pitch waved a hand and smirked, "New power, you say? Well then, Aster Frost, we have much to speak about before we come to an agreement."

_**~~~FBW~~~ **_

**Anime: There! This is the chapter! My only excuses are my stupid geometry homework and Demon's (my best friend who I share this account with) quincenera surprise dance. We (okay, that includes Demon, another girl and three other guys) only had like three practices to learn it but it's easy. If anyone wants to see the dance, check out [MMD] Yu-Gi-Oh! One, Two, Three. **

**Sora: She's fifteen already? Wow, she's grown up!**

**Anime: She turned fifteen on February 14. Oh, my baby!**

**Hood: Why am I the youngest of us three?**

**Haou: You're only like six months older than her, September baby. And relax, March child. **

**Chazz: She's Cupid! She was born in an important month and day! September is a depressing month. Especially September 24.**

**Anime: Hey! That's my birthday!**

**Jehu: That's why it's depressing. Have you read your angsty stories?**

**Anime: Shut up!**

**Hood: Don't read her angst. . .**

**Anime: Oh no, not you too!**

**Aster: It's barely Chapter Three and you already gave my identity away already. . .**

**Anime: Oh, please. Everybody already knew.**

**Hood: Oh yeah. We all knew. I know the plot twists of this story.**

**Jack: LadyRavenCrow was the first and Scorpiofreak the second. Besides, it helps with the plot of this story.**

**Yami Bakura: What plot?**

**Bumby: Exactly!**

**Roxas: Honestly, just kill the man! Can't we just, I don't know, chop off his head or push him in front of a train or stab him or-.**

**Anime: Enough ranting, Roxy! **

**Hood: But I was enjoying the new killing methods Roxas was teaching me. **

**Anime: It'd be too merciful to immediately kill him. He has to suffer. Hence the reason why he's tortured by my favorite psychotic characters: Yami Bakura, Marik, Brooklyn and Hakudoshi! Please review and I enjoy your comments. Don't be shy! No flaming. Those will be given to our pet dragon.**

**Jack: I'm not gonna ask how she has one . . .**

**Hood: Ha.**

**Anime: I don't want to rush Jack and Alice quickly into their relationship. Don't kill me for this, please! I have a whole life ahead of me! Wait, that was a lie. I don't like stories where it's too rushed. Or too dramatic where the female protagonist has to be rescued like she's worthless. That's why I ship this with pride. **

**Jaden: See you on the flip side! Or Chapter 4. Whatever comes first!**

**Hood: Aster's identity is revealed, Black Ruins is as psychotic as always, Jack and Alice are getting closer and Pitch appears! Please review if you want Bumby to be tortured and to see what happens next! **


	5. Chapter 4: Return of the Nightmare King

**Haou: Where's Anime?**

**Jaden: Don't you know?**

**All: ?**

**Tyson: It is March 6.**

**All: *gasps***

**Anime: HAPPY 15****TH**** BIRTHDAY, HOOD! *glomps her***

**Alice: To celebrate, Anime uploaded this chapter.**

**Jack: Happy birthday, Hood! Welcome to official adulthood in the Hispanic culture! We hope you're reading this! Also, introducing Demon!**

**Demon: How did I get here?**

**Anime: *hugs her* I brought you here so you can celebrate! Also, to convert you to our shipping.*evil glint* Jalice~. (Demon likes Jelsa. *gasp*)**

**Hood: So, what do we have for this chapter?**

**Aster: As the title suggests, it's the Return of the Nightmare King a.k.a Pitch! Yay! Warnings for possible OOCness, terrible imagery, a terribly written plot and some torture. There is Jalice in here as well as onesided Forcedshipping . . . what's that?**

**Anime: You and Black Ruins.**

**Hood & Demon: You gave it a name?**

**Anime: Leave me alone! The song for this chapter is Mordred's Lullaby by Heather Dale. Check it out. Imagine Alice singing that to little Aster! So cute~.**

**Haou: Since she forgot to do the disclaimer in the previous chapters, we'll have to remind everyone so those people in black suits don't come: We DON'T own any of these characters. Anime only owns Aster, Arwyn, Raven, Aria, Zayden, Sariya and Rayne. Enjoy.**

_**~~~FBW~~~**_

Chapter 4: Return of the Nightmare King

Jack knew he was dreaming. He had to be, since he was currently holding the person he cared for the most in his arms. Alice was leaning on his chest, her eyes closed as if she was resting. She was breathing softly, indicating that she was asleep. A hand was on her stomach, allowing Jack to see that it was swollen.

Alice was not, in any reality, fat. She had even looked undernourished once so it wasn't possible that this was real. Besides, the background seemed almost blurry and out of focus. Not only that, but Jack didn't recognize the scenery they were in.

They were underneath an imposing looking tree that towered over them. It had no leaves as it was, apparently, winter in this dream. Snowflakes fell from the sky, dancing in the air for a moment before landing on the ground. The sky was gray with no sign of the sun anywhere, even though it was daytime.

"How's Mom doing?"

Jack jumped at the sound of the new yet familiar voice. He looked up to see Aster sitting down in a branch above them, swinging his feet. Aster's hair was currently white and he had green eyes. The green eyes amidst his pale features made them appear brighter than normal. He was wearing a red shirt with a black-and-white sweater underneath and brown trousers similar to Jack's. On his hands rested the Moonstone necklace Aster usually wore around his neck.

When Aster's words finally registered in his mind, Jack froze and stared at the young spirit above him. His mom? Alice couldn't be Aster's mother. Now, with more reason, Jack knew this was a dream. A weird dream created by Sandy. Yeah, that was it. That had to be it.

Aster cleared his throat, twiddling with his fingers. Jack remembered this was a certain habit of Aster's that he usually didn't do unless he was worried, "North said that she's healthy so far. She might not even have trouble in childbirth. As long as she doesn't stress herself out like before, Mom will be okay."

"Yeah." Jack heard himself say. He looked down at Alice, who was still asleep. He heard movement next to him, and he knew for sure who that was. After all, only one person was around besides them.

"Aunt Tooth told me about how she was when she was pregnant of me." Aster mumbled after a long silence. Jack turned to look at him and was surprised that Aster's eyes were filled with emotion. They weren't the dull orbs Jack had grown used to seeing. These eyes were bright and lively. Yes, this was definitely a dream.

Aster chewed on his lower lip for a moment before speaking again, "She would remember the fire . . . the asylum . . . She remembered all of her tragic memories, and she would nearly kill herself. They told me you kept her from doing that, for my sake. I . . . I don't imagine Mom like that."

"Your mom," Jack said, not understanding why he was saying this. Then again, in dreams, you can't control what you say, "is a strong woman despite her difficult past. She fought bravely to be where she is now. She was afraid of bringing you into this world. She feared that you might get hurt and it'd be her fault."

"If I do get hurt, it will not be her fault; it shall be my own," Aster replied softly, touching Alice's cheek, "Mom always cares and looks out for others, yet she doesn't do the same thing for herself. She blames herself for everything that seems to go wrong, and I hate that about her."

"You got that from her, snowstorm." Jack responded. Aster stared at him, his eyes questioning him. Those green orbs were so expressive and open; a huge difference from the closed eyes Aster usually displayed in real life. The eyes also remained green, like Alice's eye color, instead of changing depending on Aster's mood. Jack didn't know how Aster truly looked like, but why would he imagine that his 'true form' had white hair and green eyes?

"I . . ." Aster averted his gaze. He chewed on his lower lip once more, "Um . . . Hey, Dad? Can I ask you something? I . . . What would you do if a close friend of yours started acting weird around you . . .?"

"Can you explain how 'weird'?" Jack questioned.

Aster made eye contact with him, "Well, said friend is always staring at you when they think you're not looking. They ask you awkward questions like if you have a crush, or kissed anyone or if you're still virgin. They seem to know everything that you do and it seems that they always know where you are."

That didn't sound like a friend to Jack. That sounded like a stalker, someone obsessed with you, or a guy who wants to sexually molest you. Why was Aster asking him about this? Was it possible that Aster had a stalker that was obsessed with him? If so, why did he consider him a friend?

"What I'd do is get away from him or her." Jack responded, "That is not a friend, Aster; he or she sounds like they're obsessed with you or something. Being around them will only lead to trouble. Besides, I have a feeling that you haven't told me that he or she has attempted to touch you inappropriately."

Aster's eyes widened and so did his mouth. He closed his mouth and then cleared his throat, "I see. Well, you're right. I didn't tell you about everything. This friend of mine, Dad . . . He. . ."

Ah, Jack thought, it's a guy.

"I've known him for two years, but he's been protecting me for seven years. It's only recently that he's been like that and . . . Dad, three days ago, he tried to rape me." The last part was nearly mumbled but Jack had heard it. Hearing that sentence made his body go rigid and his eyes widened.

Aster wrapped his arms around himself. He looked so small and vulnerable in that position, Jack noted. He didn't know if he liked this new open side of Aster or the usual, closed-off Aster, "I was so scared, Dad. He was always so nice and kind to me; I saw him as an older brother. He'd protect me when I was younger when you guys weren't around, making sure nothing would harm me. I don't know why he . . . He just . . . I . . . What did I do to deserve this? Is there something wrong with me?"

"There is nothing wrong with you, Aster."

Both Aster and Jack were caught off-guard by the smooth words spoken by the raven haired female that had been asleep. Her green eyes were wide open, allowing Jack the opportunity to compare them to Aster's. Alice's eyes were stronger and lighter in shade while Aster's were darker and had small specks of blue in some parts. Why hadn't Jack noticed that before?

"I don't know, Mom. I think I did something to him and I . . ." Aster gave out a groan, "Ugggggh. It's so complicated . . ."

Alice smiled and placed a hand on Aster's pale cheek. This action caught Jack off-guard as Alice wasn't prone to human interaction like this, "You worry too much, Aster. You should try to relax. Your sixteenth birthday is coming up soon. Aren't you happy about that?"

Aster smiled, nodding, "I guess so!"

Jack felt a little odd being in between the mother-son interaction, almost as if he didn't belong. Of course, he had to remember that this was a dream. None of the events occurring matched up with his reality, after all. Aster began speaking again, but his voice was muted. Suddenly, both Alice and Aster disappeared, the background swiftly changing.

Jack was floating on top of a pillar, watching the events below. A lone figure was sitting down on the ground, head lowered to the ground that was covered in crimson red blood. Jack dropped down for a closer look and gasped as he caught a good look of the person who was surrounded by so much blood, "Aster!"

Sure enough, the lone figure on the ground was Aster. He looked exactly like he had in the beginning of the dream except he was wearing white clothing. He was looking at his hands that were filled with blood, slowly falling to the ground. Aster was mumbling something, but Jack couldn't hear him. Blood was seeping into Aster's white clothing, making the clothes turn red. Shiny tears were coming out of his eyes, sliding down his cheek until it fell to the ground to join the bright red blood.

"_Hush, child, the darkness will rise from the deep and carry you down into sleep. Child, the darkness will rise from the deep and carry you down into sleep_," A voice sang from nowhere, and Jack watched coils of darkness surround Aster, who kept mumbling incoherently.

A person emerged from the shadows, wrapping his arms around Aster's neck in an embrace. He placed his head on his shoulder, a hand running through the shock of white hair. The male Jack was looking at was someone he had never seen in his life. He had black hair with blood-red highlights and glowing red eyes with golden spots on them. He seemed to be around twenty years old. He was wearing black clothing; a striking contrast to Aster's white clothing. When he had been touched, Aster shivered as if in fear.

"_Guileless son, I'll shape your belief and you'll always know that your father's a thief and you won't understand the cause of your grief, but you'll always follow the voices beneath_," The male sang to Aster, smiling wickedly at him.

"Get away from him!" Jack yelled. To his surprise, the male heard him. Startled, the other looked up at him and smirked, an evil glint in his eyes. For some reason, Jack was getting the chills by just looking at him. Something about this guy made Jack uncomfortable, and Aster felt the same.

"_Mine._" He chuckled in a singsong voice. As he said that, he placed a hand on Aster's tear-stained cheeks. Jack definitely didn't like him. He was creepy, and he didn't own Aster! He had to set this guy straight.

"Listen, you creep, whoever you are! Aster isn't yours so get that through your thick head! He's his own person, and no one is going to just have a claim on him! You're gonna have to get through me to get to him! You got that?" Jack yelled. The spirit frowned at him, looking hateful. He smirked and then he, as well as Aster, began to sink into the pool of blood.

Jack gave out a cry of surprise and held out a hand to his friend, "Aster! Aster! Give me your hand! Come on!" Aster looked up at him, and Jack was surprised to see coils of darkness swirling around him as if it was a blindfold. Even so, he could see his green eyes that were red rimmed from crying. He opened his mouth, and Jack finally heard him speaking.

"_Please, please forgive me, but I won't be home again. Maybe someday you'll look up, and, barely conscious, you'll say to no one: 'Isn't something missing?'_" Aster sang in a hoarse, broken tone. Hearing him like that made Jack feel saddened.

"Aster!"

"_You won't cry for my absence, I know_," He continued. He closed his eyes, the last tears falling out of them, "_You forgot me long ago. Am I that unimportant . . . ? Am I so insignificant . . . ? Isn't something missing? Isn't someone missing me?_"

Jack reached out to grab Aster, but it was too late. The mysterious male and Aster had disappeared. Jack shook his head, staring deep into the red in hopes of seeing his friend reappear, "No . . . no . . ."

"_Even though I'm the sacrifice, you won't try for me, not now. Though I'd die to know you love me, I'm all alone. Isn't someone missing me?_" Even now, Jack could still hear the sad melody Aster sang before he vanished.

"Aster!"

_**~~~FBW~~~**_

**(December 16; present time; North's Workshop)**

"Jack!" Jack opened his eyes to see familiar looking green eyes peering down at him, concern visible in those gorgeous orbs. He blushed and inched away from the owner of the most beautiful green eyes he had ever seen on someone.

"Alice? What are you doing here?" Jack asked, his blush refusing to die down. He was in a small room in North's workshop he had claimed as his own. It was a simple room with no decorations, an open window and a sparse bed that Jack had fallen asleep in. Currently, Alice was sitting down at the corner of the bed while Jack was sitting down in its center.

Alice gave out a huff, raising an eyebrow at his antics. As she gave him a look, Jack tried to calm his racing heart. It wasn't every day that you wake up to see your crush looking down on you. Now that he thought about it, how long had Alice been in here? Oh no, what if he did something embarrassing in his sleep? He'd never live it down! What if-?

"What were you dreaming about? You sounded scared."

Jack jolted out of his thoughts as Alice spoke. She was looking at him seriously with soft eyes. Jack bit his lower lip, remembering his dream. It had started off well and then it had ended terribly. That man taking Aster, who was he? Why was Aster in that place in his dream?

"I dreamt that something happened to Aster. He-." Jack gasped, "Alice, where's Aster?" Jack had no idea why he was so scared of such a simple dream, but the male holding Aster so possessively haunted him. He didn't like it.

Alice sighed, "He didn't come back last night."

"What?!" Jack grabbed her by the shoulders, pulling her forward until they were only inches apart, "Are you sure?"

"Why would I lie about that?" Alice asked him, her cheeks turning slightly pink. In his panic, Jack didn't seem to notice their proximity. Alice didn't mind the distance. She never got to see Jack up close, and she was taking advantage of the moment. She could smell Jack's scent, something she wouldn't have noticed if she wasn't so close to him. Was it odd to say that he smelled of freshly fallen snow or that she felt safe being so close to him?

Jack stared deep into her green eyes until he noticed how close he was to the object of his affection. He released her and scrambled away. Clearing his throat, with a visible blush on his face, Jack spoke, "I guess you're right. Uh . . . sorry about that. I didn't mean to do that to you-."

"Who said I minded, _Jack_?" Alice boldly asked, a smirk planted on her face. Jack's blush turned darker at her words. _Gah! She's teasing me!_ Jack thought as he looked away from Alice, much to the raven's amusement. _Hey, she called me Jack! How come I haven't noticed that before? I like how she says my name . . . Agh, what am I saying?! I'm ranting now!_

"Um . . . well . . . you see . . ." Jack stuttered. How was it that this English beauty was able to reduce him to a stuttering mess by simply calling him "Jack"? Everyone called him Jack, so why was it when she said it, he acted like this? Why did Alice's actions and words affect him so much?

_Maybe it's because . . . I love Alice._

Was that the reason why this was happening to him? Was it because he saw Alice as something much more important than a friend? Jack had never loved anyone in that sense before. He didn't know how to act and didn't know whether or not to act on his impulses. Right now, he was refraining himself from uttering _that_ sentence and from running a hand through her hair . . .

"You look a little flustered, Jack. Are you feeling quite alright?" Alice noted. Jack's usually pale cheeks were light pink from the blushing. He looked so adorable like that and, the fact that she was causing him to react like this, made her heart beat a little faster. Even though she wasn't completely head over heels in love with the winter spirit, that didn't mean that she didn't see him in that sense. As far as looks went, Jack had them.

Of course, she wasn't just interested in just his appearance. Jack had a charming personality, a good heart and qualities that Alice sometimes wished she had as well. He was the embodiment of the qualities that she lacked. He completed her. Of course, the idiot didn't seem to notice that.

Jack gulped and, just as he was about to speak, was cut off by Tooth's scream of glee and a familiar yelp of surprise. Jack sighed in relief and mentally counted his blessings. Thank goodness that Aster was back! He'd provide a good distraction from his current dilemma with the courage spirit. He'd soon tell her about his hidden feelings but, for now, he was going to keep them sealed and hidden from her eyes.

Both spirits left the room to find Tooth inspecting Aster – especially his shiny, clean and white teeth – and the other Guardians warily looking at the teen. Alice's demeanor instantly became serious, "What's happening?"

"The boy's insane, that's what!" Bunny shouted, pointing at Aster. The other glared at him, as if daring the Pooka to continue speaking. For a moment, Jack saw that Aster's glare was as fierce as Alice's. Bunny growled, "I told you he was an enemy! A spy! I guess you got some satisfaction, eh?"

"Listen, I'm not an enemy, and I had no choice!" Aster yelled, "Black Ruins will come here and, when he does, he'll come for me. He'll slaughter anyone that gets in his way! Do you think I want that?"

"You released Pitch!" North yelled.

"He did what?" Jack asked, looking at Aster in disbelief. Aster looked away from the winter spirit, feeling a wave of disappointment overwhelm him as he saw that Jack looked almost angry at his decision. Aster, like some children, didn't like disappointing his parents.

_First I couldn't get close to my mom and now this. What did I do to deserve such rotten luck?_ Aster thought, eyes trained on the ground as they turned blue.

"As much as I enjoy his suffering, stop chastising the boy, North." Jack couldn't forget about that voice. He glared at the owner of the voice, seeing Pitch sitting down on the globe. He had a smirk plastered on his face and he was creating miniature nightmares.

This man lied to him and had hurt so many children. Locked away for two years didn't sound like enough punishment for him and for what he had done to everyone. "You certainly haven't changed." Jack told him.

Pitch descended to the ground, standing by Aster's side, "I am not here to tolerate your feelings towards me. I am here because this boy promised me something in return. A new power."

Jack blinked and saw Aster bite his lower lip, giving a warning look to Pitch. What did he mean with 'new power'? What power did Aster know about that made Pitch agree to help the Guardians? Whatever it was, it had to be a very interesting power if Aster made Pitch come here.

"What power are you talking about, Black? What power does Frell have that you desire?" Alice asked smoothly. Aster didn't make contact with her eyes. If he did, he knew that'd he'd run to her and confess everything to her. He couldn't afford to do such a thing. If she found out that he was Jack and her son . . . she might not be too happy about that.

Aster took a deep breath, "Okay, I've kept it hidden for too long. I think it's time that I told you about what we're dealing with. After all, this new threat is a danger to us all. He might be a bigger threat than Pitch was."

_**~~~FBW~~~**_

**(February 28; 80 years in the future; Location Unknown)**

"Aaaaah!" Arwyn screamed as he felt his limbs being stretched further back. If the punishment kept up, he might lose the ability to move his arms. He looked down, trying to calm his breath. It was working fine until they were stretched even more backwards. Arwyn gave out another, bloodcurdling scream.

"Music to my ears." Black Ruins chuckled as he controlled the dark coils that were torturing the friendship spirit. Thrown on his feet was Aria, who looked worse for wear. She had blood gushing out of one of her eyes while the other was swollen from where she had gotten punched.

Her legs had two-degree burns along with several slash marks. Her right leg was bended on the wrong angle and she had long gashes on her arms. Her nose was definitely broken, and her lip was busted as well.

"Why won't you submit, boy? Pass out from exhaustion or plead for mercy. It's quite boring when you only scream in pain." Black Ruins told Arwyn. Arwyn glared at him and looked down to see Aria. She was in a terrible state. She could die.

Black Ruins placed his foot on Aria's stomach. She whimpered in pain and Arwyn finally spoke, "Leave her alone, you bastard! She doesn't deserve what you're doing to her or what you've previously done to her!"

"The kindness spirit . . . who knew she'd be the first? I wanted you to be the first, but you're hard to crack. Oh well, I have to make do with this." Black Ruins said, looking down at Aria. Arwyn froze, eyes wide. No. He couldn't possibly be thinking about killing Aria! Not her! Not Aria! She was too kind and sweet. She didn't deserve death. Then again, the innocent died first in this world.

Black Ruins crouched down and placed a hand on Aria's chest where her heart was located. She screamed, and her body began to writhe as if she was having a seizure. Her skin began to blacken as she screamed in pain. Arwyn wanted to do something to help her but what? He was in a predicament too.

Black Ruins removed his hand from Aria's chest, and she lay there on the ground, motionless. Her skin had turned completely black, and she had stopped breathing. Arwyn choked back a sob. Was she . . . ? No. He couldn't think about it. He closed his eyes, but the image of Aria screaming in pain was stuck in his mind.

"Awaken, Aira."

Arwyn opened his eyes to see that the darkness was slowly moving towards Aria's wrists, forming designs akin to tribal art. Her wounds were completely healed, and her clothes seemed to have been repaired as well, although they had changed. When Black Ruins spoke, she had opened her eyes and stood up.

Aria had changed. She was wearing a sleeveless black dress that reached up to her knees. She wore black-and-white stockings underneath the dress and black shoes one would normally see in a porcelain doll. She had black eyeliner and fingerless black gloves on her hands. Her hair was up in her trademark ponytails but, with her new dark look, she made it seem intimidating. Around her neck was a black dog collar that read 'Aria'.

"What did you do to her?" Arwyn asked.

Aria turned to him, "Ah, Arwyn . . . Nothing is wrong with me. In fact, Black Ruins helped me. Aria the kindness spirit is gone. I am Aira, the cruelty spirit." She chuckled, and Arwyn felt a shiver run down his spine. Aria's words were so haunting that he knew that it wasn't her.

"Time to play, Aira." Black Ruins chuckled.

From her wrists, black smoke appeared and transformed itself into a whip. The whip was dark black like Aira's clothing. It seemed to be about five feet in length and had small thorns jutting out of it. Arwyn gulped. Great, he was screwed over. He met the girl's gaze. They were still the same color, but now they were hard and cold. Aria was really gone.

"Try not to scream or I'll break your arms." She said with a smirk. With a smooth flick of her wrist, the whip smacked Arwyn's left cheek. He couldn't help it. The pain from the attack plus the stretching of his arms was too much.

He screamed.

_**~~~FBW~~~**_

**(December 16; present time; North's Workshop)**

"Black Ruins is a very dangerous spirit. According to what I've found out about him, he's been around for thirty years. He's been laying low during most of that time. However, he surfaced around ten years ago." Aster began.

The eight spirts were standing in front of the globe with the golden lights. The elves and yetis weren't around, as North had dismissed them. The matter was between the eight spirits that were gathered at that moment. All of them wore serious expressions, slightly intimidating the youngest spirit among them. The room was unusually quiet. The only sounds that were heard were the steady breathing of the eight occupants and the soft howling of the wind outside.

"Three years ago, I am ashamed to say, I knew Black Ruins as a friend. He kept up a great façade, leading me to believe that he was a good person. Alas, he was the opposite of what I thought. He was cruel, sadistic and cold. Not only that, but he murdered children as a hobby."

"How cruel. How could he live with himself after murdering those kids?" Tooth whispered. The killing of innocent children was something that was unforgivable to the Guardians, especially since they were meant to protect them. Compared to what Pitch had done two years ago, this was pure evil.

"How did he become a spirit?" Alice asked.

Aster winced, his blue eyes looking towards the distance, "He told me that they killed him in his previous life. Whoever it was, I want to congratulate them for killing him in the first place and then punch them for their actions caused a greater threat to arise. He didn't tell me in what manner they killed him, however.

"This man is obsessed with power. He likes to take control of people and he acts as if he's above the rest of the world. What he seeks is the Moonstone," Here, Aster paused to reveal the stone hanging around his neck, "A fallen stone that came from the moon itself. It allows us spirits to live to protect the children of this world. It gives us the necessary powers we require to do our duties. It also makes us invisible to protect ourselves from outer harm."

"All that power in that small thing?" Pitch wondered. That question was mentally repeated inside the minds of the winter spirit and the courage spirit. _Big things come in small packages_, Alice thought with a half-smile. The Moonstone turned brilliant green for a moment before the rest of the colors began to appear. Jack blinked at that odd transition.

"Yes. Rather odd, isn't it?" Aster said, the corner of his mouth lifting up in a half-smile. Tooth caught this, and her eyes widened. Aster and Alice's smiles were splitting images of each other! Sure, Aster's teeth looked a lot like Jack's but the manner how he was smiling was identical to Alice. That couldn't be a coincidence. After all, some children often had the smiles of family members. Aster and Alice had never met before, and they weren't related. _I'm going to have to investigate this_, Tooth decided.

"This is one of the reasons Black Ruins murdered my parents," Aster forlornly said, "The power of the stone would make every spirit submit to him. They wouldn't chance his power over the stone. Not only would every spirit be in danger, but the human race, especially the children, would be in grave danger. As the stone's protector, I will not allow this to happen."

North stared at the young boy in awe. Such a big responsibility resting on such a young spirit. He was dedicated to his duty, and his conviction was amazing. Others might have shied away from the task, yet Aster clung to it. He truly was a remarkable young man. His stubbornness to uphold his duties did remind him somewhat of a certain raven haired spirit, although he wouldn't tell her that.

"What are we going to do to stop him? What are his strengths and what are his weaknesses?" Bunny asked. This malevolent spirit had to be stopped, for the sake of the innocent children as well as the spirits. The fact that he had already murdered both spirits and children angered him. Black Ruins was going down.

"Strengths? He has a resilient ability in controlling the mind, especially memories. He usually has a conduit to use that ability. He tends to use necklaces for that. I suppose it's like hypnotism." Aster pondered, "He can control dark energy and transform himself into black smoke. He is incredibly fast, and he's intelligent. He can read an opponent simply by looking at them."

"That might prove to be difficult." Pitch noted. He caught the younger's eyes that had turned from blue to silver with light blue streaks. Likewise, his eyes had changed. However, Pitch knew otherwise. He knew the boy's true appearance. The son of Jack Frost and Alice Liddell, fleeing from a madman who sought the Moonstone and the stone's protector. Aster Frost was an interesting person. A perfect mixture of the winter spirit and the silver tongued Englishwoman.

"Any weaknesses?" Tooth asked.

"None that I've noticed." Aster bit out. He was slightly angry at himself for not asking that bastard before. Then again, he had thought he was a friend. He'd never ask his friends those types of questions. He should have realized sooner. If he had, he wouldn't be in this mess and his parents . . .

"When do you think he will come?" Alice asked, interrupting his thoughts. The two made eye contact and, for a moment, Aster saw a little of his mother. She was still as beautiful and headstrong in the past as she was in the future. Of course, she wasn't as rough in the future – becoming a mother made her more forgiving – but she was the same as always. Aster missed her and Father. They would know how to handle the situation at hand.

"I can't be certain." He replied. He clenched his fists, "All I know is that we must be prepared to face him and whatever he has in store for us. He isn't someone you can toy with. When he comes, we have to be aware that defeating him isn't enough. Black Ruins must be killed."

_**~~~FBW~~~**_

**(January 19; 77 years in the future; Burgess)**

"_How come you think like that?" Aster asked his companion. He was dressed in a silver hoodie and dark brown pants that reached up to his ankles. As usual, he was barefooted. His white hair was longer than usual, reaching up to his shoulders already. He tilted his head to the side, "Why do you think the world is ugly?"_

_His companion, Black Ruins, was dressed in his usual dark robes. His hair was as short as usual and his eyes hard and calculating. Both of them were sitting down on a tree branch, overlooking the city of Burgess. He raised an eyebrow, "Why should I believe this world is beautiful?"_

"_Well," Aster looked at a golden stream of Sandy's Dreamsand and touched it, "the scenery is nice. Don't you think so? The laughter of those children as they get happiness out of the simplest of things. Truly, children are curious things. Maybe that's why I'm so fascinated by them."_

"_You're no more than a child yourself, Aster. You've recently turned thirteen. You talk as if you're an ancient spirit even though you're not." Black Ruins pointed out. _

_Aster blinked and laughed, scratching the back of his head, "Oh yeah! I guess I am still a kid in spirit standards. I mean, my father is over three hundred years old! Still, as a spirit, I have a duty to protect these kids. I guess I forget that I'm a kid too. Mother told me that, as soon as I was ten, that I should start taking care of the kids. It's my duty as a spirit and as the son of two Guardians."_

"_You try too hard to live to expectation." The other told him, "You could stop trying, you know. Your father wasn't very responsible until he became a Guardian and, even then, he didn't properly mature until your birth."_

"_I know." Aster said, looking down and swinging his feet, "I just don't want to let anybody down, you know, Black? Most spirits just see me and think I'm a slacker because I'm so young. I want to prove them wrong. Besides . . ."_

"_Besides what?" Black Ruins asked, turning to the suddenly serious teenager. He looked up, his green eyes shining with determination._

"_I'd be a coward if I ran from my responsibility. I am Aster Frost, after all. I'm going to prove to everyone that I'm a force to be reckoned with! Not only that, but I want to prove to people that my parents raised me well. My behavior reflects the way I was raised by them. They taught me how to see the beauty in the world and to respect life, no matter how small. That's why I think you should see that this world we live in is lovely."_

"_Even if no one can see you in this 'beautiful' world?" Black Ruins asked. Aster stopped swinging his feet, and his eyes turned downcast. Both spirits had no believers and hadn't been seen by any child. It was a sore spot for Aster and Black Ruins knew that._

"_Even then." The other agreed, his voice a mumble. He wanted to be seen. He wanted to be believed in. He knew that would take its time, but it would one day happen. It took his father three hundred years to be believed in. He had to be patient and wait. Someday but not today. _

"_Your parents taught you to respect life," Black Ruins started as Aster started creating figures with his Fantasy Dust, "Does that mean you wouldn't kill anyone?"_

_Aster quickly turned to the other, looking horrified at the question, "That's such an awful thing to say, Black! I wouldn't want to kill anyone! Sure, they might want me dead, but I wouldn't want to kill them! I'd be robbing someone of their future. It's despicable!"_

"_Let's say that person killed innocent people-."_

"_If I killed him, I'd be no different than him. Killing is wrong and cruel. You're stealing the life of someone who still had a chance at life. It isn't fair!" Aster replied, shaking his head._

_Black Ruins stared at him for a long time before speaking, "You're against killing? Even if killing that person meant the safety of others?"_

"_No one deserves to die." Aster replied, both turning quiet as they continued to gaze at the quaint city. There was nothing else to say, and they both knew it. That is why they were silent. Their silence said more than their words ever could._

_Little did both know that, soon, this topic of conversation would destroy their friendship to a point beyond repair. _

_**~~~FBW~~~**_

**Anime: How was that?**

**Aster: Forcedshipping has more moments than Jalice in this fic! That's just wrong, considering that this story is a Jalice fic! And that guy creeps me out! To my dismay, now that you've named it, you won't get rid of it. . .**

**Anime: I want to draw that scene . . . when I'm a better artist . . .**

**Demon: The songs that came out in Jack's dream were Mordred's Lullaby and Missing by Evanescence. It seemed to fit the mood, don't you think?**

**Tyson: Where's Hood?**

**Jaden: She, Haou and Jehu are torturing Bumby downstairs. Jehu said that was his birthday gift to her. I swore I heard some Jelsa fans being tortured down there too . . .**

**Anime: But we didn't reach our quota! And that was a secret!**

**Jack: She signed no such contract.**

**Sora: Read and review for the next chapter! We just love reading reviews! Next chapter is still a mystery but hey! Anime is already thinking about how to improve the Jalice in the story! Also, winterbutterflies is the name Hood and Anime came up with one random day. Winterbutterflies are fans who are Jack x Alice shippers. Support the shipping!**

**Jack: Aria has gone to the dark side, Tooth has discovered Aster's heritage, Pitch is back and Black Ruins is just as psychotic.**

**Alice: Now Tooth, Pitch and Sandy know about Aster while Jack and I are having our suspicions. What shall happen next? Stay tuned to Frozen Butterfly Wings!**

**Anime: Sorry for the delay. I started working on an AU of FBW called Shattered Wings and another Jalice fic called Bittersweet Lullaby based on the song Mordred's Lullaby. I'm posting those two after finishing Frozen Butterfly Wings so watch out for those if I do post them!**

**Hood: See ya next time!**

_**~~~FBW~~~**_

**Just for fun, random little drabbles titled Aster's First Words and Aster's Doe Eyes:**

Jack: Alice, our son still hasn't said his first words . . .

Alice: Jack, it's still too early-.

Jack: Is there something wrong with him?** (Jack acts like the woman in the relationship. XD) **

Alice: Jack, let me-.

Jack: Are his vocal cords not working?!

Alice: Jack, they are-.

Jack: Oh my gosh, maybe we did something wrong when we were feeding him and now he won't be able to talk?!

Alice: Jack, that doesn't make-.

Jack: I mean, I'm not against having a mute child-.

Aster: Jack!

Jack: Alice, don't interrupt! The fact that our son may be mute is a serious issue!

Aster: Jack!

Alice: He spoke.

Jack: . . . Oh.

_**~~~FBW~~~**_

Aster: (aged 6) Daddy! North made this awesome sled for a kid! Can I have one?

Jack: Snowstorm, you don't need a sled.

Aster: *pouts and does the 'doe eyes'* Please?

Jack: *trying to resist* . . . Okay.

Aster: Yay!

[Later, with Alice]

Aster: Mum, can I get-.

Alice: No.

Aster: *pouts and does the 'doe eyes'* Please?

Alice: Nice try but that only works on your father.

Aster: . . . Dang.


End file.
